Security News > 2021 > July > We're terrified of sharing information, but the benefits of talking about IT and infosec outweigh the negatives

We stand in front of rooms full of people - or, more recently, sit in front of laptop cameras trying to remember what rooms full of people look like - and say: hey, if you fall for a phishing campaign, or you inadvertently delete a directory, or you lose your laptop, get in touch straight away and we'll help you get it sorted.

So how do you do something conversational with a bunch of people whose opinions you respect, while retaining a reasonable chance of not blabbing your woes to the public at large? The simplest to make happen is to seek out your peers by going along to local networking events - and even if there aren't any locally run user groups in your field you can also look to professional bodies such as the BCS,2, ISACA and the like, all of which have regional branches or chapters that can be used as a means of meeting the people you'd like to get to know and share with.

Yes, the downside is a risk that someone will blab, but the upside - the immense value of knowing more about who's had issues, who's been hacked, what good and bad experiences people have had with mutual services providers - will generally outweigh the downside by an order of magnitude.

We've looked at local groups - whose other upside is, of course, that you can meet in the back room of a suitable hostelry - but how about opening it wider? Again, be bold, be trusting and have a bit of faith in people's integrity.

During lockdown I've done a few group sessions run by an online security information provider, for example: the format is a Chatham House Rule closed video chat with a dozen or so people with similar interests to your own, on a particular subject, chaired/led by whoever's sponsoring the event.

Because the chances are that when you do, you'll get responses from a whole bunch of people who, until now, were either terrified of or prevented from indulging in information sharing and getting the massive benefits that it brings.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/07/13/sharing_information_security_feautre/