Language has enabled the study of ancient philosophy, scientific breakthroughs, computer programming, or even sending WhatsApp messages to your friends and family. And in the same way that any language transmits and mediates everything from social norms to the creation of culture, shared histories, mythologies, religions and art forms, cyber security too, has its own language.
It is common knowledge that cyber security threats are occurring every day, arriving in all shapes and sizes, and speaking a variety of technologically and geographically different languages. Internet forums, media publications, and news channels around the world feature news of the latest attacks which, in written or verbal form, are a mix of acronyms, jargon, and idioms acting as shorthand for those in the know, but which might seem bewildering to interpret for anyone without prior experience of working within the sector.
Given the esoteric nature of the dark web and the large amount of illegal transactions happening there, it is impossible to interpret and understand the latest and evolving cybersecurity threats without speaking the language of cybercrime. The sharp end of the dark web – the malware, distributed denial of service, botnets, Trojans, phishing scams and keyloggers – are well-publicised, but what actually are they, and if I’m responsible for running a business, how much do I really need to know to protect that business?
As the world continues to re-engineer its business practices amid ongoing geopolitical, environmental, and economic upheaval, intelligence into the nature of these cyber security threats at the highest level of business has never been more important. Is the C-Suite focusing on and discussing the right threats in the boardroom? Have they invested in the right tools to defend against those threats? Are they even aware of the threats to their businesses which carry the most danger?
While there is no shortage of information on the topic, this report highlights that the C-suite is often finding itself in a position where they are having to make business critical decisions without a clear picture of their unique threat landscape and the risk it poses to their organisation, due to the inability to fully comprehend the language of cybersecurity and the tools needed to gather reliable and actionable threat intelligence.
