Dr. Mary Aiken stands on the forefront of cyberpsychology, exploring the intricate relationship between expertise and human behaviour.
As a professor and chair of the Department of Cyberpsychology at Capitol Technology University in Washington D.C., and a Professor of Forensic Cyberpsychology on the University of East London, she has devoted her profession to understanding the psychological implications of our digital lives.
A extremely sought-after cybersecurity speaker, Dr Aiken shares her experience on world levels, providing distinctive insights into cyber behaviour and digital threat. We spoke along with her to delve into the evolving panorama of cyberpsychology, the challenges posed by rising applied sciences, and the way people and organisations can navigate the complexities of the digital age.
In your view, how crucial is it that cybersecurity evolves to totally incorporate the human layer, and what are probably the most urgent psychological elements that should now be addressed?
First of all, let’s speak about our on-line world. As cyber psychologists, folks like myself have been discussing our on-line world for one of the best a part of 20 years. In reality, in 2016, NATO formally ratified our on-line world as an atmosphere — as a site — recognising that the battles of the long run would happen not solely on land, sea, and air, but in addition throughout pc networks.
The US army conceptualises our on-line world as comprising three layers. Firstly, there may be the bodily community, which incorporates the {hardware}, cables, and infrastructure. Secondly, there may be the logical community, which facilitates communication throughout these networks. And lastly, there may be the cyber persona layer—that’s us, the people.
When we speak about incorporating the human layer into the cybersecurity equation, we’ve got to acknowledge that we’ve had 50 to 60 years of cybersecurity, and it has been very efficient in addressing the primary two layers: the bodily and logical networks. However, the overwhelming majority of cyberattacks in the present day are pushed by social engineering — and social engineering has much more to do with psychology than with expertise.
As a outcome, we’re now seeing the emergence of a brand new sector beneath the broader umbrella of cybersecurity: the net security expertise sector, or SafetyTech. I’m proud to be one of many founding members of this sector within the UK. Our mission is to develop technological options to technology-facilitated issues — particularly dangerous and felony behaviours on-line.
To summarise, we should issue the human into the cybersecurity equation — from the attitude of customers, staff, and cyber attackers. And after we take a look at the spectrum of cyber menace actors — from state-sponsored to state-condoned, from hacktivists to activists, from organised cybercrime to stylish menace teams — we’d like options that aren’t solely technically strong and resilient, but in addition account for human psychological resilience.
We need our knowledge methods and networks to be safe, however equally, we’d like the folks working these methods to be psychologically protected, strong, and resilient. That’s how we will ship on what I name 360-degree resilience.
As one of many foremost specialists in cyber psychology, how does the science underpinning this area inform your public talking, notably when partaking with sectors grappling with tech-driven behavioural change?
In cyber psychology, we research particular results — for instance, the net disinhibition impact — which explains why folks usually behave in methods on-line that they’d by no means contemplate in the actual world. It’s a key behavioural driver in digital environments.
We additionally discover the ability of on-line anonymity, which may be useful in some contexts however also can act like a ‘superhuman power of invisibility’. And, as with all powers, it comes with accountability — one thing not at all times exercised properly by people.
Of course, we additionally observe optimistic on-line behaviours, resembling altruism, seen in actions like crowdsourced fundraising. The elementary precept is that human behaviour adjustments in on-line environments, and understanding the influence of those behavioural shifts is crucial.
Through my talking engagements, I’ve the privilege of addressing a variety of sectors — expertise, cybersecurity, infosec, monetary companies, training, e-commerce, and healthcare. All of those industries profit from deeper insights into how expertise influences human behaviour, each from the consumer and operator views.
My analysis spans a lot of areas, together with cyberchondria — a type of well being nervousness that manifests on-line. Many of us have skilled this: a headache shortly spirals into Googling signs, resulting in panic over critical situations like mind tumours.
Another latest space of focus is cyber fraud. In the UK, laws such because the Online Safety Act is aimed toward addressing this type of cyber-enabled criminality. I’ve contributed to quite a few data campaigns that concentrate on one among my key areas of experience: cyber behavioural profiling.
Many campaigns inform folks, “Don’t click the link.” I am going a step additional — I analyse the semantics of phishing messages, breaking down how attackers manipulate language and psychology to compel customers to behave. Understanding the emotional and cognitive triggers that cybercriminals exploit helps us higher educate the general public and defend in opposition to such assaults.
In phrases of discuss matters, I cowl a broad spectrum — from human elements in cybersecurity to cyber behavioural profiling, and more and more, the psychology of AI.
With the fast rise of generative AI and different superior applied sciences, how should stakeholders throughout business and authorities recalibrate their pondering to successfully handle each threat and alternative?
When it involves applied sciences like AI, we’ve seen many false dawns — in addition to quite a lot of ethical panics. Take the emergence of ChatGPT, as an example. People grew to become excited by the novelty of chatbots, however in fact, chatbots have been round for many years.
The first chatbot, Eliza, was developed within the Nineteen Sixties. She was modelled on Rogerian psychology and was extremely efficient at eliciting data. When she requested questions like “How are you?” and adopted up with “Tell me more about your day,” folks started sharing deeply private tales. The response was so sturdy that the programme was shut down pretty shortly — its inventor was reportedly horrified by how a lot folks disclosed.
In the Nineties, I had the pleasure of working with one other chatbot, Jabberwacky, which was developed by a colleague of mine. It was an excellent and modern piece of expertise. What we’re witnessing now’s the continued evolution of this area.
As for the widespread concern that AI will replicate human intelligence and render us out of date, I stay sceptical. As a behavioural scientist, I’d level out that we don’t but totally perceive how the human mind works. The concept that we will replicate or exchange one thing we don’t totally comprehend is, to me, a flawed premise.
Instead of specializing in ‘artificial intelligence’, I advocate for a special method: IIA (Intelligence Augmentation). This idea, impressed by Licklider’s Nineteen Fifties work Man-Computer Symbiosis, proposes a mannequin during which human and machine intelligence work symbiotically.
With IIA, we maintain the human on the centre of the method. That, I consider, is how we must always body our engagement with AI and machine studying – specializing in augmentation, not substitute.
Looking forward, there are undoubtedly thrilling and vital adjustments on the horizon. I’m notably within the convergence of quantum computing, machine studying, and AI. That mixture would be the level at which we really start to imitate elements of human intelligence.
In delivering insights throughout world establishments, from NATO to the UN, what core message or shift in mindset do you most hope audiences will stroll away with after listening to you converse?
As one of many world’s main specialists in cyber psychology, I’ve had the honour of being invited to talk at high-level boards world wide — from the White House to NATO, from the United Nations to INTERPOL.
In phrases of conferences, I’ve spoken at gatherings throughout the spectrum — cybersecurity, infosec, healthtech, fintech, regtech, edtech, in addition to coverage and policing boards. This breadth and depth replicate the common relevance of cyber psychology in in the present day’s digital world.
My position is to equip audiences with the data, instruments, and skillsets wanted to confront the complicated challenges that emerge on the intersection of people and expertise.
I assist folks assume in a different way — empowering them to design and deploy technology-based options to technology-facilitated issues, together with dangerous and felony on-line behaviours.
Ultimately, my purpose is to make folks extra knowledgeable, extra assured, and higher ready to have interaction with expertise in a approach that’s protected, moral, and efficient.
And most significantly, I intention to encourage collaboration, as a result of we’re all working on this shared atmosphere of our on-line world. If we’re to make it safer and safer, it is going to take collective accountability and world cooperation.
Photo by Mostafa Saeed on Unsplash
This interview with Dr Mary Aiken was performed by Mark Matthews.
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