The benefits of good personal hygiene, like washing your hands, have been taught to all of us since we were in kindergarten.

Over the past two decades, the cybersecurity industry has often proclaimed the benefits of good “cyber hygiene.” Borrowing ideas from doctor’s office posters and public health announcements, the information security community frequently offers helpful tips to protect ourselves online and tries to present security materials in ways that audiences will pay attention and take action.

From National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) led by my friend Kelvin Coleman, Executive Director at the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), at www.staysafe.org to public and private sector organization security awareness campaigns (like this one from Lear Corporation) to new telework training for staff working from home, most small, medium and businesses are taking action to protect their data and staff in cyberspace.

In addition, global leaders talk about this ongoing pandemic as a “war against the virus.” As Queen Elizabeth II remembered Victory in Europe (VE) Day (from World War II) 75 years ago, she shared thoughts from that previous war: “Never give up, never despair — that was the message of VE Day. …” Acknowledging the impact on modern British life of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced this year’s public commemorations to be cancelled, she also drew parallels between the UK’s wartime generation and their modern compatriots.

So what can the world-wide cybersecurity industry learn from what been happening with Covid-19 global pandemic efforts? How can success stories and problems translate in the cyberattack battles we face every day world?

To answer these questions and several more, I turned to someone who has excelled in both of these worlds.

Dr. Wendy Ng is Experian’s DevSecOps Security Managing Advisor, where she is a subject (Read more…)