Continuing with our recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we have another instalment in our longstanding Expert Insight series on cyber threats and security, but with a twist! Joining us are Dr Keith Nurse, of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts Trinidad and Tobago and Kristerbella Sookdeo, of Fortinet, to chat about cybersecurity awareness. Among other things, we discuss: the common cyber threats or incidents in the Caribbean region; the current state of cybersecurity awareness; the implications of the “financialisation of the global economy” on the security landscape; and how to tackle the rate of change in the security space and the continual need to build awareness.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!

Cyber incidents have become so rampant and sophisticated that even if you are aware and consider yourself savvy with technology, sometimes it can be a challenge to identify the threats. For individuals who are not as knowledgeable – which would be most people in our societies – the ease with which they can become ensnared is unnerving, especially since we are living more of our lives online, thus not only exposing us to greater risk but also potentially more devastating losses.

Although October is commemorated as cybersecurity awareness month, public education should not be occurring for just one month of the year. It needs to be a sustained effort and start among the youngest in our societies, in order to inculcate good habits and shrewd use of technology.

Having said this, although this week’s podcast conversation is on cybersecurity awareness, the discussion is not just about having more public education campaigns. There is a bigger battle being fought of which many of us are not aware.

 

Introducing our guests

Dr Keith Nurse

Dr. Keith Nurse is the President of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT). He is the former Principal/CEO of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Saint Lucia. He has worked as a Senior Economist and Advisor on Structural Policies and Innovation at the OECD Development Centre in Paris. He is the former World Trade Organization Chair at the University of the West Indies, where he served also as the Executive Director of the UWI Consulting Company. He has also lectured at the University of Ottawa. He is an expert member of the UN Committee for Development Policy.

Dr. Nurse has worked as a researcher, advisor and consultant to governments and international and regional organizations around the world and has published on a wide array of areas such as trade policy and services, industrial policy and innovation governance, creative industries and the digital economy, tourism and cultural heritage, migration and diasporas, gender and economic restructuring, climate action and sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.

Kristerbella Sookdeo

Kristerbella Sookdeo is the Territory Account Manager for the Southern Caribbean at Fortinet, but she has worked for several of the big tech firms, including Fujitsu, Microsoft, Cisco, Dell and Symantec, to name a few. She is an advocate for “Girls in ICT” and for young upcoming tech professionals and the driver of the “Think Before You CLICK” youth initiative in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Cyber Security Incident Response Team and Cyber Security Education initiative with COSTAATT.

Kristerbella is an upcoming radio personality on Hott93.5 in Trinidad and Tobago. She is also the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Bfit Caribbean Fitness & Apparel Company Ltd.

 

Insights into our conversation

It is always interesting when a conversation unfolds in ways that were not anticipated. Although Caribbean residents may broadly appreciate that there are numerous online threats, there may still be the perception that they are so unimportant that they are not at risk, and so greater public education is critical to fostering more responsible digital hygiene and online behaviour.

However, Dr Nurse, who heads an academic institution that offers security-related training and in addition to being the target of a broad range of cyber threats, but also a well-respected Economist, broadened our conversation considerably. First, he spoke about the “financialisation of the global economy”, and the implications that we are now experiencing from a security perspective He also highlighted the ongoing “digital industrialisation” and how one of the biggest risks to the Caribbean region is being behind the curve, and again the impact on improving our security and our security awareness as a society. However, below are a few of the questions posed during our conversation.

  1. Bella, hat are some common cyber threats or incidents you’ve seen recently in the Caribbean region?
  2. Bella, what would you say is the most common type of cyber-attack among the general public? 
  3. Bella, from your perspective what would you say is the current state of cybersecurity awareness within the region?
  4. Dr Nurse, you wear many hats and engage with a broad range of people, what have you been observing with respect to cyber awareness?
  5. One of the challenges is the rate of change in the security space, and correspondingly the continual awareness and capacity building that ought to occur across our societies. How could that be better tackled?
  6. Another challenge in the tech space is that people tend to be underemployed. What are your thoughts and how might this be addressed?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select Links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  COSTAATT;  K Sookdeo;  Van Tay Media (Unsplash); rawpixel.com (Freepik); Pressmaster (Pexels) 

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez