Episode 06: Why the cyber security industry needs to hire more anthropologists

03/26/21 • 53 min

Why does the cyber security industry need to hire more anthropologists? Because the criminals already are.

By 2025 it is estimated $10.5 trillion will be lost to cyber criminals. Hacking humans is a very lucrative business.

Social engineering is one of the easiest and most effective ways to access a secure system. Cyber criminals know this, and they are increasingly leaning on the research and techniques of the social science disciplines to leverage the human element into letting them into our lives, our businesses and our bank accounts. Yet, while the security industry is always striving to be ‘one step ahead’ of the criminals in terms of technical capabilities, it often neglects the need to consider the very social nature of hacking.

As more of our lives are now online, how can security practitioners increase security awareness and build up our resilience to unite against malicious actors looking to leverage our weakest, but what could be our strongest, defences in cyber-warfare - our people?

This discussion puts people and social science at the centre of the solution. Utilising anthropological theories and methodologies - such as reciprocity, participant observation and tribalism - Lianne will demonstrate why cyber security teams need to hire beyond technical expertise and look towards the social sciences for the next advancements in cyber fortification to respond to this ever-increasing threat.

To face this threat, we need to readdress the fact that technology does not exist without human interaction. Cyber security practitioners must cater for a wide breadth of expertise, capabilities, experiences, cultural norms, along with all equalities and disparities that frame these individuals. This task is not one for the computer scientist alone and it highlights the urgency to address this problem from an anthropological perspective.

Why does the cyber security industry need to hire more anthropologists? Because the criminals already are.

By 2025 it is estimated $10.5 trillion will be lost to cyber criminals. Hacking humans is a very lucrative business.

Previous Episode

Episode 05: Empathy at work

We welcomed Sharon Steed to Hey! Live as our guest in November for a special, free live-streamed lecture. Sharon and Hey! Founder, Josh Nesbitt explored "Empathy at work".

Transformational culture starts with empathy. But how do you make that happen? How do you create a culture that everyone feels heard in? Respected? Where each individual knows them and their ideas are valuable to not only their coworkers, but the company at large?

These are the ideas Communilogue’s founder and principal Sharon Steed examines in her ebook "Empathy at work". Communilogue is also an empathy consultancy, so we can't wait for Sharon's insight into this fascinating topic at our live-streamed event.

Sharon speaks at companies and conferences globally on empathy at work. Her story is unique in that she got her start speaking and consulting in a non-traditional way.

Sharon is a life-long stutterer, and she uses her speech impediment to teach what empathy is and how to use it as a foundation for positive and effective communication. Stuttering has informed her view of communication as a result of years of being both terrified to speak but also fascinated with the the intricacies of conversation. She has spoken about empathy and communication, vulnerability and her experiences as a stutterer at conferences and companies globally.

"Empathy at work" is a topic Sharon has fantastic insight into. She has written an ebook about it facilitates a training course of the same name.

Next Episode

Episode 07: Career progression

We’re happy to welcome James Hall to Off Script as a new co-host alongside Josh Nesbitt in our new podcast format! The topic today is ‘Career progression’.

Josh and James have known each other for many years and have a lot of professional experience in tech at the top level between them, ranging from agency work through to consulting. Josh runs Leeds-based software consultancy Stac whilst James runs Parallax - a digital agency specialising in websites, apps and much more. This gives our co-hosts different perspectives on the tech topics they’ll be getting into in the coming episodes and gives the listener a balanced take on today’s top topics in tech.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one! In today’s episode, Josh and James explore:

How do you define a career path?
The changes you experience as a developer as you progress up the career ladder within an agency and as a consultant.
Knowing where to invest your time as a junior in tech to ensure suitable progression for yourself.
What opportunities and challenges does remote working create for employees and employers?
What can employers do to retain employees and create a rewarding career path for their staff?
How often should companies speak to employees about progression and what frameworks are effective for this?
Zoom fatigue and remote working.
What does the future look like for offices with a mixture of remote working and people wishing to spend their time around people in person?

Find out more about Stac and Parallax: