In most cybersecurity conversations, most people tend to overlook the pressing issue of diversity in the cybersecurity industry as a whole. Not only is the cybersecurity world made up of a highly homogenous group of people at the top, the lack of diversity actually creates hurdles and makes the process of securing an enterprise harder than it has to be.
Usually, workplace diversity is looked at as a buzzing fad’ and is unfortunately seen by enterprise owners as a means to project a certain image, rather than being something that they are genuinely passionate about.
However, as far as the cybersecurity world is concerned, making diversity mainstream is far more critical than previously thought. Unlike other avenues where the issue of workplace diversity is usually seen through the perspective of moral or ethical debate- having a diverse security team can actually equip enterprises better against external and internal threats.
As more and more businesses ride the wave of digitalization, which relies on the inclusion of faulty technologies such as cloud computing within an enterprise- the surface area available to cybercriminals expands, which ultimately leads to hackers attacking with an extremely wide range of tools at their disposal.
As the threats faced by enterprises continue to grow more diverse, inclusive cybersecurity team would be better equipped in combating against threats since they’d have an idea of how to protect a diverse group of people against cybercrime. A simple and easy way to protect yourself and your business start using a VPN. A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic and will protect you from all snooping eyes.
However, before we can get into the details about the fundamental role that a diverse cybersecurity team can play in fighting against cybercrime, it is crucial that we talk about the changing make-up of the workforce, and how that factors in the cybersecurity equation.
How is a Diverse Workforce Changing Cybersecurity?
Although there’s still a lot to be desired from the cybersecurity in terms of diversity (and we use the word diversity’ in the widest possible context over here), the cybersecurity world is slowly changing and becoming more inclusive in the process. Having said that, however, a lot of enterprises exercise the same cybersecurity tactics which not only prove ineffective but also leave a lot of room for criminals to exploit.
Usually, the primary reason as to why enterprises fall short of hitting the cybersecurity mark is simple- companies are unable to realize the differences that a diverse workforce creates, along with having an extremely limited view as to how cybercriminals and hackers launch their attacks.
As the cybersecurity world welcomes an increasing number of technological advancements with each passing day, so does the world of cybercrime. Quite similarly to how the benefits offered artificial intelligence is getting all the buzz in the cybersecurity market, launching attacks that target a specific group of people is the greatest fad in the bleak world of cybercrime.
Long gone are the days when hackers needed to rely on on-location, and sheer luck to launch sophisticated attacks. Instead, today, cyber-criminals opt for a more victim-centric approach and use an arsenal of ways to wreak havoc on an organization’s network. Usually, the most popular tactic through which hackers target people is through one of the variants of phishing, or by getting naive individuals to open personalized’ malicious email attachments and then propagate malware, or spyware on the targeted network.
Contrary to popular belief, however, one of the biggest steps that enterprises can take to ensure that their employees don’t fall victim to the traps laid out by cybercriminals is educating themselves about the potential responses that their workforce might have while facing such threats- which is where diversity factors into the equation.
And although we’ve mentioned this before, by diversity, we refer to a broad group of people ranging from a spectrum of genders, races, and nationalities. When it comes to analyzing the trends and patterns followed by cybercriminals, research suggests that hackers are more likely to come after low to medium-level employees, instead of directly launching an attack on VIPs. Moreover, it should also be mentioned that as the level of job decreases, the likelihood of being targeted by hackers increases exponentially.
Additionally, when we take into account the fact that the workforce (UK) is made up of a several ethnic groups, of which 85.6% were White, 8.1% Asian, 3.4% Black, and 1.8% of mixed ethnicities, it becomes obvious that the people more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals belong to non-white ethnic groups.
The divergence in the workforce doesn’t stop here. Some other points to consider include:
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The workforce in the UK also features individuals from highly varying educational backgrounds. Less than half (42%) of the current labor force, whereas 21% have done their A levels, 20% hold GCSE’s, along with 17% having no formal education whatsoever.
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Similarly, the workforce also features individuals from different age groups. In recent years, however, both the younger and older age groups are in employment in the UK which depicts a workforce that contains 18-70-year-olds.
How Can Diversity Enable Organizations to Combat Cybersecurity Threats?
Now, that we’ve hopefully painted an accurate picture of the diverse nature of the present-day workforce- it is equally important that we present our readers with ways that they can use this diversity to their advantage.
Right off the bat, enterprises need to focus on creating cybersecurity teams that mirror the make-up of their wider workforce- only then do they stand a chance in warding off threats aimed at specific people. Unfortunately, most enterprises tend to create one-dimensional security teams that are incapable of making effective cybersecurity decisions, since their vision is highly limited by and relies on a bit too much on assumptions.
As a general rule of thumb, taking cybersecurity decisions solely based on assumptions is never a good idea! An example of this is if a cybersecurity team made up entirely of older cybersecurity specialists assumes that the younger generation is already educated about threats such as malware and phishing attacks. Furthermore, the massive gender gap in the cybersecurity industry could also lead to devastating consequences, with the worst-case scenario being the creation of gaps in cybersecurity training across the genders.
In an attempt to use the gift of diversity to their benefit, enterprises need to introduce security measures that cater to a wide group of people, rather than forcing the same, worn-out, homogeneous response down the throats of their employees. The greatest steps that companies can take to protect their diverse workforce is by creating a cybersecurity task force, that, as a way of response, mirrors them.
The promise of an inclusive cybersecurity team is also strengthened by research which suggests that cybersecurity teams that rely on input from a varied group of people are able to make decisions twice as fast, and deliver better results by up to a whopping 60%!
Parting Words
In the end, we can only hope that we’ve explained to our readers the importance of diversity in the formulation of cybersecurity solutions. In the present day, as the world rides on the wave of the next big technological advancement- it is essential that we create cybersecurity solutions that cater to a wider group of people, instead of marginalizing certain individuals based on their gender, race or nationality!
