It’s fair to say Adenike Cosgrove is a people person. She has a deep understanding of the ‘human factor’ in cybersecurity, such as the psychology behind social engineering techniques used by threat actors and how to properly engage people in awareness training.
Infosecurity Magazine: What’s your proudest achievement (can be professional or personal)?
Adenike Cosgrove: Speaking first-hand to a room of clinicians, nurses and other healthcare workers at a major private healthcare organization in the UK. It was the first time they’d ever really had contact with a security professional to understand the threats they were facing and what to do. We know from our research that these frontline staff are often the most targeted by cyber-criminals, who realize that they are rushed off their feet and more focused on treating patients than checking whether an email is spoofed. The nurses had no idea that they were top of the list due to the access they have to patient data. They now view themselves as defenders not just of patient care but also of patient data.
IM: What was your route into cybersecurity?
AC: Although I really wanted to be an artist as a kid, I was told I…
