You and I are just as important as bots in the fight against cybercrime

As hackers get more inventive, we need new and diverse ways of countering their advances. Bots are one part of our defence, but we cannot overlook the importance of people in beating the hackers, argues Laura Flack, Head of Digital Safety at Barclays

Tech firms have been clambering over each other to acquire the hottest new cyber security start-ups, boasting innovative and emerging technologies in a bid to beat the latest wave of sophisticated cyber threats. However, the key to beating the hackers lies in the industry's approach to people.

Today, cybercrime accounts for half of all crimes in the UK. It is the number one threat to the UK economy, and as incidence grows, so too does the financial impact, with online crime costing the UK economy £11bn a year. Even more concerning is the fact that the true extent of the problem may be far greater than official figures have estimated; the Barclays Digital Safety Index found that a quarter of people in the UK (25 per cent) have experienced a cyber-fraud or scam in the past three years, 18 per cent of them more than once. The recent WannaCry and Petya ransomware attacks have highlighted the very real challenge we all face every day - how do we stay safe in a digital world? It is now more critical than ever that we invest in cyber security defences to prevent against future attacks.

Prevention is better than cure

The Barclays Digital Safety Index also revealed that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting young people, with two thirds (63 per cent) of 18 to 24 year olds falling victim to a scam or fraud in the past 3 years. On the other hand, millennials are less likely than other generations to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves online. Our research points to a correlation between digital safety skills and the likelihood of becoming a victim of cybercrime. Because of this, we need to be teaching young people basic digital safety skills to instil cyber security best practice as soon as they get online. Another benefit of education at this early stage would be to help promote gender equality in the cyber security industry.

Today, women represent just 11 per cent of the world's information security workforce. However, if the UK is going to prevail as a leader in the global digital economy, we need a truly diverse workforce dedicated to countering the hackers at every turn. Women need to be motivated from school age to explore the possibility of a career in cyber security, and one of the best ways we can do that is to give them high-profile female role models in whose footsteps they can follow. The next step, once they're in the industry, is to provide a support network of peers and mentors to help them thrive. The opportunities available in the cyber security industry have never been more interesting or varied, and I would encourage everyone to get involved.

Invest in individuals

Another key step in the fight against cybercrime is to invest in the individuals helping to protect us. It is well reported that the UK is facing a ‘digital skills crisis', but less talked about is the impact this is having on our ability to protect ourselves, our businesses and our institutions from cybercrime. Despite the growing importance and demand for cyber security skills, there is still a shortage of adequately trained professionals. With almost half of UK businesses experiencing a cyber-attack in 2016, we must invest in the people developing our defences.

Having said that, the responsibility does not lie solely with these highly skilled tech professionals; we all have a role to play in keeping the UK's digital future safe and secure. All of us, no matter how digitally confident we are, must take responsibility for our daily digital behaviours. Our Digital Safety Index showed that only 17 per cent of people can correctly identify basic digital safety threats such as social media messages intended to trick us into sharing personal details or downloading malware, leaving us vulnerable to attack.

Without investing in digital safety skills, at all levels of society, we are playing directly into the hackers' hands as they use increasingly sophisticated methods to target and trap us. As part of the Barclays #digisafe campaign, I want to see more emphasis being put on helping individuals, businesses and society to develop their digital safety skills so we all feel empowered to beat the hackers.

Laura Flack is head of digital safety at Barclays

Computing's Women in IT Excellence Awards will be held in Central London on 1st November 2017.