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Oh no! 8 Billion impacted in Passive Reading Vulnerability |
Abstract
The average cybersecurity news report highlights that “X thousand [have been] impacted in Y breach.” It might quote a statement from the organisation attacked and offer a high-level view of how the attack occurred. That’s all we need to know, right? Enough to protect our own organisations and customers? But what if this isn’t enough to fulfill this mission? These reports often fall short of the commentary required for readers to make meaningful connections between events that illuminate larger patterns. And far too often, there is subtext concealing ulterior agendas. When all this is left unsaid, what if tomorrow’s attacks brew while we are defending from today’s? This talk presents the formula and rhetoric employed in over 1000 articles I analysed from both large and independent news outlets, newsletters and blogs run by individuals. It guides attendees through a formal process to critically read news reports and recognize these patterns so they can evaluate the broader implications. Finally, it draws on case studies to demonstrate how attendees can harness their findings to bring about change. The audience will develop an improved understanding of the shortcomings of cybersecurity news reports. They will learn how to identify the techniques used in the articles to obfuscate certain points and how to read beyond them. Most importantly, they will walk away with simple strategies that use this knowledge to shape the regulations governing how we practise cybersecurity and its implications on society. Speaker Bio: Hi, I'm Afia! I am a software engineering honours student at Monash University and a Security Cloud Solutions Architect Intern at Microsoft. My honours research spans the use of digital twins in STEM at tertiary institutions, and I have previously worked in data science research and DevOps. I am passionate about technology because of the opportunities it brings to create a more equitable society and have loved learning about how cybersecurity contributes to this mission in the past year. I am also an avid reader and hobbyist writer dabbling in essays and poetry! |
