Mark Bennet, Blustor: The cyber commu-nity can have a tremendous influence on public awareness by evangelizing and working with the media to bring serious issues to surface. This requires a level and style of communication that “mere mor-tals” can understand and using examples that clearly show the potential consequ-ences. As a community, we need to enco-urage and support cyber security experts to share their stories, concerns, and po-tential solutions with the rest of the world.
Ondrej Krehel, LIFARS: Lawmakers and corporations are the big movers. Money makes people do things.
Elizabeth Houser, Praesidio: Yes, but in a reactive manner. The level of cybersecuri-ty awareness is most greatly influenced by the publicizing of breaches and litigious actions that follow.
Richard De Vere,The AntiSocial Engineer:
In the UK, we are starting to form smaller clusters of computer security experts, this is designed to give smaller businesses aro-und us access to good soaro-und advice. Soon, all the UK will have a network of talent to lean upon.
Einaras Gravrock, Cujo: Absolutely. I think cyber security researchers, as well as ethi-cal hackers have been very voethi-cal for years about security issues and finally they are being heard. We have reached the point where a significant dialogue is happening around the world and cyber security experts are a big part of that dialogue.
Amit Serper, Cybereason: Absolutely - all the recent data breaches have thrust cy-ber security into the spotlight. Now that it’s on it, Cyber security leaders will also
“cross the chasm” and become much mo-re visible as cybersecurity champions and evangelists.
Wade Johansen, CouriTech LLC: Yes, it’s a key factor in getting needed information out to the public quickly so actions can be taken immediately as needed. If you wait for the news to report it, then chances are it’s already old news to the cyber commu-nity.
Roberto Langdon, Nicolas Orlandini, KPMG: Awareness is one of the most im-portant (if not the most) topics the corpo-rations need to address. Cybersecurity is a process, not a product or a department within the company. This needs to be addressed using a top-down-top appro-ach. Needs to reach the entire organiza-tion.
Francisco Amato, Infobyte: I don't think so, it depends a lot on the culture and the country, but in general people start to grasp cyber security threats posed to them more from problems or news that happen in companies on a daily basis than from warnings from IT sec professionals. backups don't always get the job done. It is possible that this type of attack ends up raising awareness about the importance of safeguarding one's information, becau-se not only is there the chance of your hard disc breaking but when a Ransomwa-re is able to captuRansomwa-re all your information and extort money from you in order for it be returned. The same kind of things happen when almost weekly a new com-pany has their information compromised and people seeing this in the news start to ask themselves how they can protect themselves and their organization.
C YBER SECURITY AWARENESS
Will the cyber community influence the level
of cyber security awareness?
Kenneth C. Citarella, Guidepost Solutions:
Cyber security awareness must develop within the user community at all levels.
No matter what security experts say, un-less the need for security is well understo-od and adopted as a policy and a practice, we cannot become more secure.
Julie Herold, Kenny Herold, Odin’s Eye:
No, the topics are too complex and there-fore not palatable for anyone that is not IT savvy as well as IT Security savvy.
Anthony Di Bello, Guidance Software: Cer-tainly, and already are doing so through things like national cyber security aware-ness month (October).
Nick Prescot, ZeroDayLab: Yes, because of the legislative drive that is happening but it will become more of a business issue.
Alina Stancu, Titania: Yes, the security community is the only one to drive aware-ness among the non-technical public.
While there is an argument to be made regarding scaremongering by some ven-dors, there are genuine businesses in the industry that wish to inform and educate as well as develop a thriving business and support economic growth.
Andrew Bagrin, My Digital Shield: Yes, they are doing it already and will continue to improve.
David Clarke, VCiso: No, awareness plus strategy and technology will.
Leon Kuperman, Zenedge: Yes, the trend will continue.
Wade Lovell, Simpatic: Yes, those of us who cried “Wolf!” are now seen as well-informed instead of paranoid. “Your mind is working at its best when you're being paranoid. You explore every avenue and possibility of your situation at high speed with total clarity.” ― Banksy, Banging Yo-ur Head Against a Brick Wall.
Stephan Conradin: Yes. We must influence because we are in front line.
Michael A. Goedeker, Auxilium Cyber Se-curity: That is our (its) responsibility. We must continue as an industry to teach and make aware but in ways that are different than before. Its cool and hip to be secure, it's a way of life that everyone should have.