Don’t wait until you’ve been hacked: how we should prepare for cybercriminals

Has your Facebook or Instagram account ever been hacked? Or have your passwords been compromised? Everyone will face a cyber incident at some point. But how do organisations handle these situations? And how can we prepare for a cyber crisis? That’s exactly what Cristina del Real is researching.  

Spanish researcher Cristina del Real envisions a collaborative approach to tackling the rise of cybercrime – bringing together academia, organisations in The Hague and the city’s residents. ‘Organisations or businesses often only take action when they’ve been hit by a data breach or a ransomware attack. But that’s too late. You have to act sooner to prevent and prepare. Because it’s inevitable: sooner or later everyone will be the victim of a cyber incident. My passwords have been compromised multiple times.’  

Whether it’s individuals or large international organisations based in The Hague, everyone is a potential target for cybercriminals. Cristina is currently working on four research projects, all focused on preparing for and responding to cyber incidents. ‘I don’t just look at the technical side but focus on social aspects too. How should organisations coordinate their teams? How should they communicate? What do they say to their clients if they’ve suffered a data breach?’  

Learning from what goes right

In one of her projects, she is identifying best practices to develop strategies for the future. ‘Instead of only focusing on what went wrong, we’re studying what went right during cyber crises. How did the organisation respond and what can we learn from that?’ Another project is exploring how humanitarian organisations handle with cyber incidents.  

Cristina is also developing a game in the form of an escape room designed to train students and professionals to respond under pressure to a cyberattack. All these projects she is working on are aimed at helping society. ‘We need to bridge the gap between academia and the public. These kinds of projects help us do just that.’ 

Cybercrime is a game changer

Cristina is fascinated by this field because it is a ‘challenge of our times’. ‘I love working on new issues that shape our lives. Cybercrime is a game changer. We need to learn how to live with it, to adapt and figure out how to protect ourselves. I really enjoy studying those processes.’  

Text: Margriet van der Zee
Photography: Wilke Geurds