CONNECT meets Vladislav Bidikov to learn how the experience of CLAW, the Crisis Management exercise for the R&E community, inspired him to design and develop a course for university students. Vladislav is a senior system engineer and cybersecurity expert at the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering (FCSE) at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Vladislav, how did you become involved in the CLAW workshops?
My first CLAW experience was in 2019 in Poznan and, although I joined as a regular participant, I was given the opportunity to be part of the actual exercise team. The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, I have been involved in the CLAW exercise and enjoy every single moment.
Can you describe a particularly memorable or impactful moment from a past CLAW workshop?
There isn’t just one memorable or impactful moment; there are so many over the years that I have almost lost count. I will highlight two: the first online CLAW during the challenging pandemic months and the first CLAW after the pandemic in Poznan. I was inspired by the enthusiasm and collaboration within the team, united by the objective to make the experience memorable, inclusive, and fun for all participants.
How have you integrated the lessons and exercises from CLAW into your university teaching?
Last year, we included “Introduction to Cybersecurity” as part of the regular faculty curriculum and decided to adapt the CLAW 2023 exercise for student use. This meant adapting the scenario and materials to be conducted in parallel with multiple groups in a traditional classroom environment. The main tool, developed over the years with the code name Clawhammer, was central to the exercise’s success. We also adapted the video material to compress the exercise into a shorter 90-minute interval. To further inspire our classroom, we involved our best students as exercise leaders while we supervised the event. The event spanned over a week, repeating the improved CLAW FCSE version each day according to the groups’ requirements. In the end, the week was a complete success.
What feedback have you received from students who have participated in these exercises?
The students were very involved in the exercises, some of the most committed and interested are already planning and providing ideas on how we can improve the course for next year. They found the exercise fun and full of valuable experiences they can use in handling a crisis. They felt that it was quite realistic and that it seemed to recreate a real-life situation.
Can you share an example of how a student applied what they learned from CLAW in a real-world situation?
As our students are still going through their higher education, I believe they have already used, and will use the experience from the exercise in their real-life faculty activities, especially during exams. As technology becomes more involved in the teaching process, they are now acquiring the skills to handle and cope with future crises. We also see interest from the more passionate students in further developing their skills in this area of cybersecurity and even selecting crisis management as their future career path.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your involvement with CLAW?
Since my involvement in CLAW spans several years, I see it as a perfect example of how an original idea has evolved into a tool that allows collaboration and the development of customised crisis exercises. I hope my participation continues as CLAW evolves, maintaining the ultimate goal to enable every NREN and educational institution to utilise and develop crisis exercises tailored to their needs. From the beginning of my involvement with CLAW to the present day, I remain impressed by the amazing team effort behind the organisation of this event, which is undoubtedly the most rewarding aspect of my participation.
CLAW 2024 will take place from 3-4 December 2024, at La Salle Campus, Barcelona, Spain. Find out more >
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