A competition to find new ideas for improving cyber security and resilience has four female finalists. Their ideas will be unveiled in full at the a ‘Resilience Summit’ in London on October 15.
The competition was created by the business body London First’s Security and Resilience Network and the social enterprise Common Purpose. They sought ways to increase cyber resilience, and to increase understanding of the topic. The challenge was also aimed at producing ideas that can be developed for practical use, to have an immediate improvement in the security of data and devices.
The question posed was “how can we ensure cyber resilience in an increasingly connected world?” to the Common Purpose global network of alumni. Submissions came from Barbados, Canada, India, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, UAE and the UK.
Guidance was offered through group sessions from Curtis Baron at KPMG, Robert Hall at London First and Charles Ewen from the Met Office. This helped participants explore the challenge question by understanding some of the biggest frustrations faced by organisations and individuals.
Participants worked together to submit ideas on the Massive Online Innovation Community (MOIC) which were then refined through peer consultation and coaching sessions, with four finalists selected.
Robert Hall, Director of the London First Security and Resilience Network, said: “In an era of unparalleled technological change, the cyber environment is driving social development and fuelling economic growth. This presents a fantastic set of opportunities but it also brings challenges, particularly around security and resilience.
“This cyber challenge has provided real insight that organisations can use today to help protect themselves. Just as importantly, it has shown there is a wealth of ideas from the next generation to tackle these problems and that the future of resilience and cyber security is going to be in excellent hands.”
Garvey Chui, Innovation Director at Common Purpose, said: “The challenge with London First on cyber resiliency was an important one for us. It required our participants to really think hard on the pros and cons that technology advancements have brought to our personal and organisational lives. It emphasised the need for all of us to continue dialogue around what cyber resiliency means when we balance it around convenience, safety and privacy.
“These topics are top of mind at Common Purpose. We’re very proud of the ideas that have come out from the MOIC and want to acknowledge how insightful it was for the winners to focus their ideas on education and human behaviour, and not just technology in itself.” The finalists are:
Anodentity
Tanyisha Edwards, a leadership and management graduate based in Trinidad & Tobago, suggested introducing a digital anonymous identity which allows you to choose which of your online accounts are linked. This identity would be tracked similar to bank accounts and customers would be alerted when unusual activity occurs. The Anodentity would be used in place of real details.
Practise Resilience, Measure Resilience
Marcilla Silva Pena, pictured, an engineering student from Brazil, proposed a process to measure and improve staff knowledge of cyber risk and threats. This involves surveying staff on cyber risks and responding with tailored training sessions.
Learning Teams
Shanice Seale, a law student from Barbados, put forward creating learning teams of junior and senior associates. This would involve a weekly learning session where team members tackle virtual scenarios such as data breaches and system attacks, followed by a competency test to measure staff development.
Importance of Anonymity
Fulbright scholar Sofia Magdalena Olofsson holds a Master’s degree in Security Studies. Her idea involved a three-pronged approach to boost cyber resilience: first, putting an onus on companies to make it clearer to customers how digital information is protected; secondly, a premium protection plan for digital accounts provided at a cost, and thirdly a time limit on online data storage with a safety verification logo developed with the iRights campaign for company websites.
Their ideas will continue to be developed through the MOIC.
About the Global Resilience Summit
At Kings Place, London, on Thursday, October 15, the event features speakers including Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO; Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol; John Miller, Deputy Commissioner NYPD; and Dr Pippa Malgrem, the geopolitical economist and former presidential advisor. Visit www.globalresiliencesummit.com.
