National Security and Cyber: Hackers, Artificial Intelligence and Surveillance



Overview

Hackers are often demonised in society – but is this an accurate representation? Should we be fearful of those who manoeuvre from the darkest corners of the internet? Or, are they merely exaggerated vignettes of our own design? 

Our world is digital. The systems that sustain and entertain us underwrite 21st-century prosperity. Yet, our dependence on digital infrastructure is a vulnerability many seek to exploit. 

This course studies the genesis of the hacker movement to understand its cultural origins and modern manifestations. You will learn how simple caricatures of hackers fail to represent a complex community that has evolved over more than half a century. You will study the conceptual stages that comprise a hacking operation, examining the cyber ‘kill-chain’. You will then survey the impact of artificial intelligence on the practice of hacking, seeking to understand whether it has made the discipline more accessible to the unskilled, or augmented the capabilities of seasoned professionals. 

Cyber security is how hackers are countered. You will examine the building blocks of defensive strategies, viewing the challenge through the lens of the individual, the enterprise, and the nation-state. We will survey the threat landscape, examining the motivations of hackers and the attack types they deploy. Artificial intelligence is a significant enabler for defenders – you will learn its primary applications to help assess whether the offensive benefits are neutralised by defensive advances. 

Hackers have long been associated with the Crypto Wars, a surveillance policy contest that stretches back almost as long as hacking communities themselves. You will examine how from the 1970s the government sought to augment its surveillance powers by influencing digital cryptography, and how the digital privacy and hackers community contested their ambitions.

Please note:

  • Due to the nature of the contents of this lecture series, it is not suitable for people under 18 years old. 
  • This event will close to enrolments at 23:59 on 11 September 2025.

Programme details

Lecture programme

Lectures take place on Tuesdays, from 6.15–7.30pm BST (UTC).

Tuesday 16 September 2025

Hackers: An Origin Story
This lecture charts the genesis of hackers, from their mid-twentieth century origins to present incarnations. Our exploration starts in the 1950s at MIT, where the earliest hackers originated. We follow the movement through 1970s phone-phreakers, 1990s cypherpunks, and hacktivists who emerged at the millennium's turn. Finally, we explore the diverse community of hackers today. 

Tuesday 23 September 2025

Anatomy of Hacking
Dissects how attackers breach networks and achieve their objectives (e.g. disruption, data theft). We explore the 'Cyber Kill Chain', a conceptual model of the hacking process. Taking each step in turn, we detail the considerations that hackers must make to avoid detection and infiltrate target networks. At the end of this lecture, you will have a conceptual understanding of the foundations of hacking. 

Tuesday 30 September 2025

Dark AI: A Dangerous Accelerant?
This lecture explores the impact of artificial intelligence on offensive cyber. We survey how large language models (LLMs) are being used by malicious actors to aid their hacking operations. We consider the availability of such models, guardrail circumvention, and the dual-use nature of synthetic media (deepfakes). Finally, we examine the possibility of fully autonomous offensive cyber capabilities. At the end of this lecture you will understand how rapid AI evolutions are impacting hacking. 

Tuesday 7 October 2025

Cyber Security: Defending the Kingdom  
This lecture investigates how cyber security is pursued within a mutating political & technical environment. We will examine the primary challenges to managing cyber security, firstly we will survey the threat landscape before continuing to study some of the attack methodologies malicious actors use. Finally, we will consider how individuals, businesses, and nation-states can protect themselves. 

Tuesday 14 October 2025

Artificial Intelligence & Cyber Defence: A Game Changer?  
This lecture examines the impact of artificial intelligence on cyber defence. We will start by considering the long history of cyber security companies using AI to detect malicious content, before considering the general benefits of AI upon the industry. Then we will assess to what degree capabilities such as behaviour and network analytics as well as vulnerability analysis has benefitted from AI. Finally, we will consider agentic approaches and their impacts on cyber defence, in particular activities within the security operations centre. 

Tuesday 21 October 2025

Surveillance & The Crypto Wars: The End of Privacy? 
This lecture chronicles the conflict between citizens & states concerning unrestricted encryption access. We start with a brief overview of surveillance before examining the Crypto Wars, the subject of Dr Jarvis' first book. We will step through each of the three 'wars' to understand the key 'battles', including the Data Encryption Standard debates, the Key-escrow policy, and the impact of the Edward Snowden disclosures. Finally, we consider the future of encryption policy.  

How and when to watch

Each lecture will last approximately 1 hour, followed by questions.

Please join in good time before each lecture to ensure that you have no connection problems. We recommend joining 10-15 minutes before the start time.

Fees

Description Costs
Event Fee £75.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit or are a full-time student in the UK you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Craig Jarvis

Course Director

Craig is an independent academic specialising in national security and technology. He lectures at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Royal Holloway. His next book, ‘Cyber Terrorism: Extremism & Hacking’ will be published in 2026. Previous works include 'CryptoWars: The Fight for Privacy in the Digital Age' and contributions to 'Next Generation Enterprise Security'. His research also appears in peer-reviewed journals, including 'Intelligence and National Security'.
Craig holds a PhD in cybersecurity and history and has earned master’s degrees in international security, information security, and classical music, studying at Oxford, King’s College London, and Royal Holloway.
With extensive industry experience, his last permanent role was Chief Technology Officer at DXC Security, then the world’s largest security services provider. At DXC, he founded DXC Security Labs, spearheading advancements in cybersecurity research and development.

Craig remains deeply engaged with the private sector, particularly in finance, where he advises major banks and private equity firms on security strategy, architecture, and cyber due diligence. As a member of the Offensive Cyber Working Group's College of Experts, he contributes to research and policy development in offensive cybersecurity. He is also the founding chair of the Geopolitics-Cyber Community of London Experts (GeoCyclone), an organisation bringing together business leaders, academics, and policy makers to share knowledge on national security and digital technologies.
He is currently studying Mandarin (HSK4).

Craig is active on LinkedIn, often posting details of upcoming courses and ongoing research.

Application

Please use the 'Book' button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.

You can also register for individual lectures if you do not wish to attend the whole series.

IT requirements

We will be using Zoom for the livestreaming of this lecture series, and you will be able to submit questions via the Zoom interface. Joining instructions will be sent out prior to the start date. We recommend that you join the session at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start time – just as you might arrive a bit early at our lecture theatre for an in-person event.

Please note that this course will not be recorded.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support