Cybersecurity - A designer’s perspective

11/16/21 • 22 min

Cyber security goes beyond protecting your digital assets!

The unique part of cybersecurity is that the more you know about it, the less secure you feel. This can limit your digital experience and even cause anxiety because you constantly feel exposed to invisible threats.

Design and user experience make a substantial contribution to making online security and privacy easier to understand and manage. Visual cues and certain types of interactions with websites, apps, and other digital products teach us what a safe experience looks and feels like. With these habits formed, we can identify when something goes amiss so we can spot the threat and act with caution.

Today I’m joined by Lucian Grofsonean, brand strategist and brand designer who developed the visual identity for this podcast. I’m very glad to have Lucian as a guest in his very first podcast interview. He’ll share with us his perspective on Cyber Empathy as an industry outsider and the inspiration behind the inspired designs that he created.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the challenges Lucian encountered while trying to integrate empathy and cybersecurity, two notions that, at first glance, seem to have nothing in common. You’ll also get to hear about this important topic from an outsider’s perspective. Lastly, you’ll hear about a real-life story on a cybersecurity breach and the impact it had on the targeted company, as well as its users.

In this episode, you will learn:

The challenges faced when trying to combine cybersecurity and empathy into a coherent and appealing visual identity (04:12)
The inspiration behind the podcast’s brand design (06:34)
How empathy goes a long way in every company (11:08)
How adding extra layers of security to a platform impacts the users (15:58)

Resources:

Connect with Lucian:

Let’s connect!

Cyber security goes beyond protecting your digital assets!

In this episode, you will learn:

The challenges faced when trying to combine cybersecurity and empathy into a coherent and appealing visual identity (04:12)
The inspiration behind the podcast’s brand design (06:34)
How empathy goes a long way in every company (11:08)
How adding extra layers of security to a platform impacts the users (15:58)

Resources:

Connect with Lucian:

Let’s connect!

Previous Episode

Am I being tracked? Solutions to online user tracking

Are you making mindful choices in your digital life?

Many companies have been profiting from exploiting your data, whether you choose to share it or unknowingly do so while using online services.

One of the most commonly used methods of exploitation is tracking. The good thing is that there are many empathetic people and companies that are also working to protect us from it.

Today I’m joined by Dave Smyth, designer and developer with a keen passion for privacy and ethics. Dave is using empathy to guide his clients to choose solutions that enhance privacy while also helping them grow their business.

I’m delighted to have Dave on not just as a guest on the podcast but also as a co-host! This is the first of many conversations where we’ll explore the implications of lack of empathy in tech and, particularly, in cybersecurity and privacy, as well as the options and solutions to the problems this generates.

In this episode, you’ll learn about why empathy is important when addressing privacy and cybersecurity issues. You’ll also learn about email tracking and the information this invasive – but inconspicuous – strategy harvests. Lastly, we’ll discuss the steps that Apple has taken to enhance the privacy of its users and the impact that those initiatives are expected to have.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why empathy is becoming a big deal in tech and cybersecurity (04:51)
How email tracking works and why many people are unaware it exists (06:56)
Tools you can use to block companies from tracking you and how they work (10:52)
How Apple mail protects users from being tracked (15:33)

Resources:

Connect with Dave:

Let’s connect!

Next Episode

Empathy in Ethical Hacking

How do you remain empathetic when your job is to act like an attacker and point out issues with security systems?

With all its military language, cybersecurity can feel very aggressive but this offensive security specialist shows us that it doesn’t have to be.

Today I’m joined by Alexei Doudkine, penetration tester and co-founder of Volkis. I deeply resonate with how he puts his 10+ years of experience on the offensive side of cybersecurity to good use and challenges the status quo. He shares with us his views on empathy and how it embeds into his work as an ethical hacker.

For example, the belief that you are too good and technologically advanced that you can’t be hacked is actually a weakness in cybersecurity - and this is because it is still a very young field with new threats popping up every day and old threats evolving very fast.

This is why many companies seek the services of ethical hackers to test the robustness of their current security setup. They also get guidance on how to improve or change their security to reduce the chances of being compromised by malicious attackers.

In this episode, you’ll find out what penetration testing involves and the role it plays in a company’s cybersecurity resilience. You’ll also hear about how empathy supports the efforts and approaches adopted by ethical hackers. Lastly, you’ll discover the considerations that help the most when designing security architectures.

In this episode, you will learn:

How ethical hackers practice empathy (03:21)
What to consider when building security architectures (07:43)
How putting people in the attacker's shoes for a minute changes their perception of cybersecurity (10:26)
The role of transparency in building trust within a company (17:04)

Resources: