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The USA and French flags showing faint binary code running vertically in multiple columns, and overlaid text stating "Transatlantic Forum on Cybersecurity"

Global Spotlight on Cybersecurity: GNSI Hosts Transatlantic Forum

TAMPA, Fla. — At a moment when cybersecurity challenges ignore political borders,a and policies lag behind rapid technological changespeed of technology advancements far outpaces the policies to guide it, the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) brought together experts from convened leading voices from both sides of the Atlantic for its recent “Transatlantic Forum on Cybersecurity.” 

Three deeply technical and policy-focused panels tackled pressing questions: How can formal models secure emerging cryptographic systems? What new threats lurk in our increasingly AI-driven networks? And how must policies adapt when the very rules they try to enforce are interpreted differently by machines?

Logos for the four sponsors of the Transatlantic Forum on

Partnering closely with ľƵ’s own Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing, as well as the , one of Europe’s leading cybersecurity institutions, and the , the forum highlighted not only the urgency of shared cyber risks but also illustrated the collaborative nature that could  shape the way nations and institutions respond.




From florida to france: building a transatlantic brain trust

Faculty members from Paris-Saclay, as well as ľƵ’s Bellini College anchored the conversations, demonstrating deep technical expertise and policy insights that complemented GNSI’s mission to foster actionable solutions and inform the next generation of security leaders.

“It lets us explore problems we simply couldn’t tackle alone.”

Nicolas Sabouret, the Director of the Computer Sciences Gradute School at the University of Paris-Saclay , emphasized the power of this cross-border collaboration. “It’s not just a transatlantic partnership,” he said. “It’s a fusion of different domains of security research that lets us explore problems we simply couldn’t tackle alone.”

“This forum represents exactly why GNSI exists—to convene world-class thinkers, inform decision-makers, and shape solutions that don’t stop at state or national borders,” said Jim Cardoso, GNSI’s senior director. “Cybersecurity issues today impact every citizen and demand a response that draws on expertise from many countries and disciplines.”

Bellini College's thought leadership on display

Faculty from the Bellini College played key roles across all three panels, offering perspectives that bridged computer science, policy, and real-world application. Their insights highlighted how large language models, cryptographic systems, and AI-driven tools are reshaping both the threats we face and the tools available to counter them.

On screen image of the four cybersecurity experts in a panel discussion in the Transatlantic Forum for Cybersecurity

Bellini College faculty members played prominent roles across all three panels of the forum, anchoring discussions on how AI is simultaneously redefining cyber threats and offering new defensive tools. This collaboration showcased ľƵ’s capacity to tackle real-world challenges at the highest levels.

“Large language models aren’t just changing cybersecurity, they’re rewriting it,” said Bellini College’s Ning Wang, whose research underscores how advanced tools like such as GPT can generate synthetic datasets to strengthen malware detection and bring new clarity to intrusion detection systems. “These models can understand complex patterns, explain why traffic is malicious, and even recommend responses. That changes everything. We’re just starting to tap their full defensive potential.” They can also generate programs that supply training data for software security tools, she said.

Wang cautioned that these same AI systems could be weaponized, however, noting that adversaries are exploring generative models for automating attack scripts and refining phishing schemes.

Louis Goubin, a faculty member from Paris-Saclay, shared cautionary tales from cryptography’s past, reminding the audience that even proofs meant to safeguard RSA had once been found flawed. He also discussed how his team is helping shape post-quantum standards that must withstand threats from future quantum computers. Meanwhile, Ankur Mali of Bellini College showcased work combining formal language theory with tensor networks, offering new ways to model and verify complex cryptographic systems.

Network security for a world of 5G and smart devices

Bellini College faculty member Mehran Mozaffari Kermani led a probing discussion on cryptographic engineering. He pointed out that many cybersecurity vulnerabilities stem from the implementation of algorithms on real-world hardware, rather than from theoretical flaws. “We need to look beyond algebraic proofs to how systems can fail under side-channel attacks, power analysis, or electromagnetic leaks. That’s where the next battles will be fought,” he said.

The panel explored how formal methods and rigorous proofs are evolving to address these threats, especially as quantum computing looms and traditional cryptography faces unprecedented pressures. The discussion also touched on how Bellini researchers are exploring tensor network-inspired architectures to strengthen the formal foundations of post-quantum cryptographic schemes, an area gaining urgency as quantum computing advances.

“It’s about how AI learns and makes decisions, sometimes with very real consequences for privacy and safety.”

Nadjib Ait Saadi of Paris-Saclay outlined how AI is increasingly embedded natively within 6G design, promising smarter allocation of network resources but also opening fresh attack surfaces. “It’s not just about packet traffic anymore,” he said. “It’s about how AI learns and makes decisions, sometimes with very real consequences for privacy and safety.”



policy, ambiguity and the human factor

In a panel on governance and ethics, Bellini faculty member John Licato spotlighted the inherent uncertainty in cybersecurity policy. “Whenever you have rules – whether they’re access policies, regulatory frameworks, or laws – there’s ambiguity built in by design. That’s both a feature and a vulnerability,” he said. “AI systems will always struggle to fully reconcile these nuances, and when you add risks like hallucinations, it’s clear we need layered oversight.”

ľƵ’s Marbin Pazos Revilla brought the conversation back to the frontline realities of critical infrastructure. Drawing from case studies that linked sophisticated phishing attacks with power grid disruptions overseas, he warned that AI is a tool, but it can’t replace human decision-making in high-stakes systems. “Before deployment, we have to stress-test it, even red-team it, to expose hidden vulnerabilities,” he said.

GNSI's convening power and a shared future

James Jones of Cyber Florida and Jim Cardoso of GNSI close out the Transatlantic Forum on Cybersecurity

James Jacobs of Cyber Florida noted that the forum demonstrated the unique role universities play in translating cutting-edge research into actionable public policy. “We’ve seen academic breakthroughs move directly into local government cyber policies and emergency planning,” he said. “Universities like ľƵ and the University of Paris-Saclay help community leaders grasp that AI isn’t going away – and they equip them to make smarter strategic choices.”

Cardoso closed out the forum, emphasizing the importance of cross-border collaboration, particularly with global leaders such as the University of Paris-Saclay. “These threats don’t respect borders and the issues won’t solve themselves. It takes collective wisdom to build resilience that truly lasts. That resiliency demands informed policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Launched in 2022, GNSI has quickly become a hub for examining national security through interdisciplinary lenses. The creation of ľƵ’s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing earlier this year has accelerated these efforts and the recent “Transatlantic Forum on Cybersecurity” was a demonstration of ľƵ asserting its role as a hub for innovation, policy, and collaboration in cybersecurity in Tampa and beyond.


* * * Watch the in its entirety on our YouTube channel. * * *






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About GNSI News

The GNSI Newsroom is dedicated to highlighting news and ideas from the world of global and national security, as well as stories that focus on the Global and National Security Institute at ľƵ. We want to emphasize the many ways GNSI leads the university's strategic focus on global and national security.