Acquiring Actionable Knowledge Through Collaboration

Why sharing experiences is critical to the success of cybersecurity

By Nicole Mills, Exhibition Director, Infosecurity Group

The world is quickly waking up to the true threat of cybercrime.

Cyber incidents topped Allianz’s latest Risk Barometer for only the second time in the survey’s history, with ransomware attacks, data breaches and major IT outages worrying organisations even more than business and supply chain disruption, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gartner shares similar insight, identifying the threat of new ransomware models as the top concern facing firms in its Emerging Risks Monitor Report released in the third quarter of 2021, while the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has named the present day as the “golden era of ransomware”.

The consensus is unanimous. Right now, cybercrime is rampant, and 2022 will be a critical year for firms in turning this increasingly dangerous tide. It is fair to say, achieving this will be easier said than done.

On an individual basis, organisations can acquire more tools, technologies and skills in order to reinforce their defences. However, without a sound understanding of the threats of the modern day, such investments may risk being either low in impact or redundant.

It is for this reason that conversations are required.

Cybersecurity is a dynamic discipline, and the opportunity to learn directly from those with real-world experience of overcoming challenges and managing high pressure situations is not to be missed.

Every single individual in this industry has different background, knowledge and expertise covering a phenomenal range of topics, from personal resilience to geopolitics on a global scale. Perhaps our greatest attribute lies in the fact that we’re a collective of diverse thinkers – yet this thinking cannot and should not be siloed.

The sharing of knowledge and experiences is vital to inspiring and enlightening, providing actionable knowledge and fresh ideas to innovate effectively.

Different perspectives provide opportunities

As Exhibition Director of Infosecurity Group, I am in the privileged position of being able to gauge the thoughts and experiences of some of our industries brightest minds, each of whom have a different experience and story to tell.

Events such as Infosecurity Europe which will take place from Tuesday 21-Thursday 23 June 2022 at ExCeL London, provide an opportunity for such specialists to come together and discuss critical topics of the moment – something that will be particularly relevant for 2022 given the current threat landscape.

The pandemic placed renewed importance on collaboration, deemed critical in sustaining the productivity and morale of suddenly remote teams. Yet organisations are equally beginning to wake up to the need to look outside their own four walls.

Government professionals will have different perspectives to thinktanks, who will have different perspectives to industry executives, and so on. It is why I anticipate a host of different discussions taking place at such events over the course of this year.

I’ll use Infosecurity Europe as an example. Here, Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former Head of MI5 now serving on the Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, has opted to talk about Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty, discussing the qualities needed to face so many threats in the world today. Meanwhile, James Lyne – CEO of Helical Levity – will be looking at how Hacking Really Works, discussing how cyber criminals operate in the real world and providing hands-on demonstrations of attacks.

Both are equally important topics, yet both are perhaps entirely alien to the other.

Another example can be found in Misha Glenny’s participation. An author, journalist and specialist in organised crime and cybersecurity that has acted as a consultant to European governments and the EU on the Balkans, and advised the US departments of State and of Justice on US-European relationships, he will be offering insights into the challenges geopolitical tensions are creating across the tech sector. Meanwhile, Professor Keith Martin – a Professor of Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security for the Everyday – will explain how cryptography is used today, highlighting the security benefits and pain points.

Of course, there are many ways in which we can foster greater industry collaboration, this event being just one such example. Be it face to face conversations, webinars that encourage open debate or other means of promoting discussion, greater cooperation of all kinds will be critical to ensuring that cybersecurity teams are able to bridge the ever-growing gap with cybercrime.

From key threats, security-first cultures and new models such as ransomware-as-a-service to the historic and changing approaches of cybercriminals, third party risks and improving detection of known and unknown threats, we operate in a sphere that truly feels like it is boundless.

Indeed, there will always be more that we can learn – and such learnings, cultivated by the sharing of knowledge and experiences, will be critical to ensuring that current and future generations of security leaders can begin to mount a fightback.

About the Author

Nicole Mills, Exhibition Director, Infosecurity Group, RX Global. Nicole Mills is Exhibition Director for the Infosecurity Group. With over 20 years’ experience in events and media, she has worked with many brands responsible for strategic and commercial growth. Nicole has worked on the Infosecurity Group for six years working with the Infosec team responsible for Infosecurity Europe and Infosecurity Magazine. Working with the team, the aim is to bring the cyber community together to showcase the latest products and solutions to enable businesses to continue to protect themselves.

Nicole can be reached online at @Infosecurity and at our company website Infosecurity Europe | Information and Cyber Security Expo UK

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