The Workforce of a Secure Society

The need for a cybersecurity workforce is a given in the twenty-first century, where the foundations of our society are heavily automated by highly-connected information systems. Education and training of a sustainable cybersecurity workforce is a goal that many see as aspirational because while demand remains high, burnout is common, and efficacy of our defenses remains questionable. We look at a broader question than the tools and techniques needed for defenses and the requirements of people to employ them.

Fundamentally, what does a secure society look like, and what is it secure against? We argue that cybersecurity is a small part of a much larger system, and rather than seeking to constrain behavior, society and its systems are made more secure by citizens who are invested in the success of a free society, risk-aware, and resilient. A secure society does not focus defense on rigid systems, but the protection of liberty.

About Interhack

Incorporated and in professional practice since 2000, Interhack started as a research group in 1997 looking at the matter of large-scale distributed communication and computation. Focused on the security and privacy of systems being developed for a global audience, the organization's work has been published and cited in the literature of computer science and law. The firm is online at web.interhack.com.

About the CyberEd Connect Cybersecurity Workshop

The CyberEd Connect Workshop brings together industry, government, and educational partners to look at trends and challenges in cybersecurity and to develop strategies to improve cybersecurity readiness across and beyond Ohio. The workshop is online at https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/computer-science/cyber-workshop.html.