Improving security knowledge, skills and safety
Simon Kouttis · Computer Fraud & Security · 2016
For a long time, cybercrime wasn't as serious as it was made it out to be on TV and in the cinema. In films like Hackers, computer-savvy children crash entire stock exchanges and people walk around with names like ‘Acid Burn’; in Tron, the main character is able to violate a mainframe by being digitised with lasers; in The Matrix, manipulating code can make you an instant kung-fu master. The reality of cybercrime is a long way from the popular image. While TV shows and movies present a glamorous picture, the reality is that cybercrime is a menace to business and society. The authorities and schools must do their part to foster large-scale awareness about cyber-security. And they should integrate it into the core curriculum as soon as students start using computing devices, rather than leaving it to degree level courses, says Simon Kouttis of Stott and May.