How Employing Autistic People Can Help Stop Cyber-Attacks
by Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com
Sept. 10, 2018
Lauri Love, Gary McKinnon and many other young people falling foul of the Computer Misuse Act have at least two things in common: They are talented coders – and they’re on the autistic spectrum. But what if Love and McKinnon and others like them were caught early and tasked with preventing cyber-attacks instead of orchestrating them?
This is something high profile organizations such as the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre are already exploring. At the same time, more widely, some in the industry are looking into the benefits of employing autistic individuals to fill the cybersecurity skills gap – which itself is expected to reach 1.5 million globally by 2019, according to (ISC)2.
Around 700,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum: approximately one in 100, according to the National Autistic Society. They are in good company: Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Alan Turing are all known to have been on the autism spectrum.
Many autistic people have a specific gift and aptitude for cybersecurity. Yet they are significantly underrepresented: 84% of diagnosed autistic adults are not in full time employment, a figure that has not improved for over 10 years.
Mike Spain, director at Cyber Exchange and founder and chair of the cyber Neurodiversity Group thinks ‘neurodiverse’ adults can make a huge difference. The term refers to individuals with ‘spectrum’ conditions including autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and OCD.
Neurodiverse individuals have a lot to offer: Their strengths include cognitive pattern recognition, outside-the -box thinking, attention to detail, logical and methodical thinking, focus and integrity, says Spain. “Diverse teams are more productive, more creative and more successful,” he says.
Spain has a personal interest in neurodiversity: his son was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum condition when he was two years old. When Spain began to investigate employment and opportunities for his son, he wasn’t comfortable with what he found. This is despite the fact the cybersecurity sector “could potentially be the ideal place to benefit from neurodiverse talent”, he says.
It is with this in mind that Spain has founded the Cyber Neurodiversity Group, bringing together leaders from government, industry, academia and third sector organisations to harness this talent, benefit from it and help close the skills gap with new ways of thinking.
Formed in 2017, the group now has over 50 members. According to Spain, the aim is to raise awareness and knowledge in the sector through three projects: A how to guide aimed at employers; an “information hub” for the sector; and an event taking place in November.
“Ultimately I want to level the playing field. We are seeing pockets of fantastic forward-looking work in some organisations and I want to see that as business as usual in our sector and beyond,” he says.
But there are challenges to overcome. Firstly, attitudes need to change, says Spain. “Recruitment practice, processes and systems are largely designed around social skills, an area many struggle with.”
And – combined with a lack of awareness or acceptance – this can lead to unintentional exclusion of neurodiverse staff.
Spain emphasizes the importance of recognizing the commercial benefits of neurodiverse recruitment – rather than treating the area “solely as corporate social responsibility”.
He points out that some firms have seen a 50% increase in productivity on certain tasks performed by neurodiverse individuals, “which is the kind of figure that makes the board listen”.
And of course, employing neurodiverse young people also has the wider benefit of helping to stop talented individuals from turning to the ‘dark side’ of hacking. “I have a strong belief that as a sector we have a responsibility to neurodiverse individuals,” says Spain.
“We must ensure a pathway exists from early years right through to employment and retention for them to develop their skills so they can be deployed in the right way and the sector can benefit from this talent. If we don’t, someone else will: The bad guys.”
An event, Neurocyber:2, will take place at the MOD facilities in Swynnerton, Stafford, on 7 November 2018. Coordinated by the Cyber Security Challenge UK, it will provide the opportunity for the cyber security industry to meet neurodiverse individuals, parents and carers.
by Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com
Sept. 10, 2018
Lauri Love, Gary McKinnon and many other young people falling foul of the Computer Misuse Act have at least two things in common: They are talented coders – and they’re on the autistic spectrum. But what if Love and McKinnon and others like them were caught early and tasked with preventing cyber-attacks instead of orchestrating them?
This is something high profile organizations such as the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre are already exploring. At the same time, more widely, some in the industry are looking into the benefits of employing autistic individuals to fill the cybersecurity skills gap – which itself is expected to reach 1.5 million globally by 2019, according to (ISC)2.
Around 700,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum: approximately one in 100, according to the National Autistic Society. They are in good company: Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Alan Turing are all known to have been on the autism spectrum.
Many autistic people have a specific gift and aptitude for cybersecurity. Yet they are significantly underrepresented: 84% of diagnosed autistic adults are not in full time employment, a figure that has not improved for over 10 years.
Mike Spain, director at Cyber Exchange and founder and chair of the cyber Neurodiversity Group thinks ‘neurodiverse’ adults can make a huge difference. The term refers to individuals with ‘spectrum’ conditions including autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and OCD.
Neurodiverse individuals have a lot to offer: Their strengths include cognitive pattern recognition, outside-the -box thinking, attention to detail, logical and methodical thinking, focus and integrity, says Spain. “Diverse teams are more productive, more creative and more successful,” he says.
Spain has a personal interest in neurodiversity: his son was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum condition when he was two years old. When Spain began to investigate employment and opportunities for his son, he wasn’t comfortable with what he found. This is despite the fact the cybersecurity sector “could potentially be the ideal place to benefit from neurodiverse talent”, he says.
It is with this in mind that Spain has founded the Cyber Neurodiversity Group, bringing together leaders from government, industry, academia and third sector organisations to harness this talent, benefit from it and help close the skills gap with new ways of thinking.
Formed in 2017, the group now has over 50 members. According to Spain, the aim is to raise awareness and knowledge in the sector through three projects: A how to guide aimed at employers; an “information hub” for the sector; and an event taking place in November.
“Ultimately I want to level the playing field. We are seeing pockets of fantastic forward-looking work in some organisations and I want to see that as business as usual in our sector and beyond,” he says.
But there are challenges to overcome. Firstly, attitudes need to change, says Spain. “Recruitment practice, processes and systems are largely designed around social skills, an area many struggle with.”
And – combined with a lack of awareness or acceptance – this can lead to unintentional exclusion of neurodiverse staff.
Spain emphasizes the importance of recognizing the commercial benefits of neurodiverse recruitment – rather than treating the area “solely as corporate social responsibility”.
He points out that some firms have seen a 50% increase in productivity on certain tasks performed by neurodiverse individuals, “which is the kind of figure that makes the board listen”.
And of course, employing neurodiverse young people also has the wider benefit of helping to stop talented individuals from turning to the ‘dark side’ of hacking. “I have a strong belief that as a sector we have a responsibility to neurodiverse individuals,” says Spain.
“We must ensure a pathway exists from early years right through to employment and retention for them to develop their skills so they can be deployed in the right way and the sector can benefit from this talent. If we don’t, someone else will: The bad guys.”
An event, Neurocyber:2, will take place at the MOD facilities in Swynnerton, Stafford, on 7 November 2018. Coordinated by the Cyber Security Challenge UK, it will provide the opportunity for the cyber security industry to meet neurodiverse individuals, parents and carers.
