Being More Effective Through Information Sharing and Cooperation

Abstract

Often there is great reluctance to share information about security issues. This chapter looks at the different types of professional events currently being organised and how they can be used to learn, exchange best practices and lead to optimisation of protection against, and reaction to, cyber threats.

Executives with responsibility for cybersecurity do not need to be told by anybody else that they have a challenging role to play. Organisations are becoming increasingly dependent on data and information systems, and the volume of data is ever growing. Data has a value and therefore is an attractive target for competitors and cyber criminals. Cyberattacks are growing in volume, in frequency and in sophistication, and organisations both large and small are already targets. The challenges will get bigger rather than diminish. It is a race to keep one step ahead and to be able to recognise a cyber threat, to prevent a cyberattack and to repair the damage after the cyberattack and not forgetting having to work within allocated (i.e. limited) budgets.

To optimise cybersecurity effectiveness in these circumstances, an executive that has responsibility for cybersecurity (CISO) needs to be equipped with the best available information and tools to do the job. To do this, means benefiting from the experience of others and especially from those outside one’s own organisation. As soon as the term “security” is mentioned, there is often a reluctance to talk about one’s own issues with external people. However, the sharing of information, intelligently and for very selfish reasons, should be encouraged.