Is Cyber Security just a game?

Every single hour of every single day, the technology we use is being targeted.

Every day we hear of another security breach and while the size and severity of each Cyber Security attack seems to be growing, the availability and skills of the workforce equipped to deal with new threats would appear to be going in the opposite direction.

Naturally, government agencies and private firms are always on the lookout for new ways to reduce vulnerabilities and improve security awareness among employees.

A trend which has emerged is the use of gaming software to address some of these issues. Although gaming has previously been used in the industry for recruiting new talent, it’s had little use as a tool for educating existing employees or identifying security holes.

The importance of  appropriate training and adopting routine security measures is often underestimated or overlooked by employees, particularly when approaching deadlines or completing projects, thus making employees a company’s greatest risk to data protection and security.

By turning training into a game, employees are given the opportunity to be players in simulated cyber security threat situations.  Players must either defend by using their knowledge and skills to identify and prevent threats to their business, or pose as attackers trying to identify areas of weakness. Players can interact with each other and industry experts to expand their knowledge and build on their cyber skills.

Most systems that monitor, detect and block sensitive data in the face of a potential cyber security breach, work on the basis of reporting bad behaviour. By using gaming software, employee’s good behaviour can be rewarded and their bad behaviour can be acknowledged, giving employees an incentive to comply and continue to use best practice. If successfully adopted, the gaming process could be adapted for use around a number of other crisis management strategies.

The annual Cyber Security Challenge UK competition is a not-for-profit company that has been set up to recruit top cyber security talent. The competition uses simulation to test a range of skills including identifying security holes and defending networks. Winners receive large monetary prizes and invaluable education and career opportunities.

Hopefully schemes such as this will begin to educate those who hack and attack ‘for fun’ that they possess the unique skills which could enable them to embark on a rewarding and profitable career in the industry.

If you need help implementing essential security practices within your business, we have assisted a number of our clients in completing the government backed Cyber Essentials Scheme.

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