1st Responder Radio- EPS 3 Stoicism during Cyber Security Incidents

Stoicism during Cyber Security Incidents

Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that describes how to strengthen minds and weed out the negative and non-productive thoughts and build up positive and productive thinking. Not diving into the depth of this ideology, the bottom line of this philosophy is what is essential while dealing with and managing cybersecurity threats. It teaches that the path to happiness is accepting the moment as it presents itself. There are some things you can control, and there are some things you cannot. So the uncontrollable factors in cybersecurity can be dealt with by being a stoicist.

Stoicism -mental management tool in cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is all about the activeness and control of the mind. You must be prepared and fully aware of the possible risks and attacks and have a strategy to work upon in case of any response immediately. After making all the possible efforts remain calm; you may not stop and are not under your control. Stop worrying and thinking about them as it will not change but only affect your mind and health. Being a stoicist is highly beneficial for an IT professional as they are always among security threats like Ransome attacks, crashing servers, buggy codes, network outages and many more.

It is essential to consider and focus in any situation what you can and roll with it. Do not waste time and energy on the things you cannot do anything about. During an incident response or digital forensic legal matter, focus on what you can control and invest time and effort in that direction. We all know that cyber-attacks will happen despite the due diligence and hard work to prevent them. Things do not go the way we plan always. The best we can do is make the preparation we can as cyber preemptive security practices. We have a shot at staying in the game.

Practicing Stoicism in Cyber Security

Focusing on the items you can control and let go of the items you can not help manage your mental power and stability. If we get caught in the fears of 'what if this happens''? We will not perform fully in the mainstream of our work.

In the book "Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude", the writer explains how excellent and dynamic leaders lead their nations in times of crisis by engaging in stoicism and solitude, focusing their efforts on the items they could control. This strategy kept them moving ahead toward prosperity. Try the same strategy. Look at what you have in front of you and what you can do about it. After doing your part, leave the rest to settle.

The Call to Action:

Stoicism offers us a set of practices that can strengthen our will and makes us unshakable even in tough times of cyberattacks. It is developing a mindset that helps us understand what we can control and what we cannot. This philosophy can bring tranquillity and peace even in the most stressful days of cyber threats.

About Author

Ricoh Danielson has elaborative experience in handling cyber events, and digital forensic investigations assist businesses in managing the cyber incident response items. Ricoh helps to tackle the threats and risks of the digital world.

Ricoh has handled cyber incidents for major Healthcare companies, Healthcare Hospitals and Hospital universities, renowned Financial Firms, and prevalent chain retail restaurants. He is also a Digital Forensics expert for Criminal and Civil cases.

Ricoh is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, a graduate of UCLA, a graduate of Arizona. He has many cyber certifications as well.