Listen Up! Cyber Empathy, S2 E10
Sherpa Intelligence: Your Guide Up a Mountain of Information!
I talk a lot about empathy in my Information Security talks, bringing that skill over from Library Science. So, I was thrilled to speak with Andra-Larisa Zaharia on her Cyber Empathy podcast on October 4, 2024 about the value of approachability in cybersecurity. Approachability is one of the steps of the Library Science principle of the Reference Interview, which I have adapted to Information Security.
Listen here: https://www.cyberempathy.org/episodes/approachability-in-cybersecurity
Episode Highlights:
How Tracy ended up in cybersecurity after working as a librarian (04:10)
A common misconception about practicing empathy in cybersecurity (16:19)
Initiatives that can truly help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity culture (29:12)
How Europeans perceive cyber empathy and its role (34:09)
Show Notes:
The key to being a successful cybersecurity expert is to be approachable and understand the needs of others.
Cybersecurity is a continuous process that touches on many critical organizational functions. It is, therefore, a bad idea to run it in a silo that is unapproachable by teams from other departments.
When cybersecurity personnel are approachable, people feel more comfortable consulting them and following their instructions. This helps in creating a safety-first culture that can improve the overall security posture of an organization and also help people in their day to day lives.
Our guest today is Tracy Z. Maleeff, a Security Researcher with the Krebs Stamos Group. She previously held the roles of Information Security Analyst at The New York Times Company and Cyber Analyst for GlaxoSmithKline. She is a dedicated practitioner and promoter of empathy in cybersecurity.
In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of being approachable as a cybersecurity expert and how it can make your work easier. Plus, Tracy shares a few simple initiatives an organization can undertake to promote a safety-first security culture. Additionally, you'll find out how people feel about empathy in cybersecurity in Europe versus North America.
