Wiltshire, I., Adapa, S., Paul, D. “Pandemic Speed: Accelerating Innovation in Cyber Security”, In Adapa, S., McKeown, T., Lazaris, M., Jurado, T. (eds) Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and Business Uncertainty. Palgrave Studies in Global Entrepreneurship. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore, 2023.
Cyber security developers and threat-attackers have always had a reactive relationship. Developers spend time building secure defences only for attackers to exploit new vulnerabilities. Academic and practice literature revealed that human error and motivation plays a major role in the success of a cyber defence strategy and whilst technology and process have their place, implementation and management can significantly affect results. Organisations learn from experience protecting against human error with process and shadow IT with policy. Threat-actors also learn; sharing vulnerability information with others and developing new attack methods with their peers. COVID-19s’ isolation countermeasures may have shifted the balance of power towards the attackers. As cyberattack disruption moves from virtual to the physical world, countries must consider and weigh the benefits of international collaboration against potential exploitation by a more advanced collaborative partner. To address identified gaps, website analysis and in-depth interviews were conducted. I interviewed thirty staff in small and medium-sized Australian organisations to gain an understanding of their perspectives on cyber security and several of the findings may be relevant to future ways of working. No standards exist for cyber security products and configuration by unskilled consumers could increase the quantity of insecure devices available for threat actors to use for disruption and control. As COVID-19 created an environment where rapid innovation became a necessity, the ability to absorb intelligence and adopt more diversity in design and implementation becomes a necessary consideration for those who want to succeed. Creating pathways for cultures, genders and ages to collaborate, could help improve cyber defences for all.