CSOs Should Take Advantage of Rising Security Awareness

Imagine my surprise: At Office Depot I picked up a pack of black Uni-ball pens and discovered that Uni- ball is selling them based on purported security benefits.

By Derek Slater

September 13, 2006 — CSO — The packaging boldly proclaims that these pens help prevent check fraud. Fine print explains the threat of check washing and boasts that the chemicals in Uni-ball's gel ink bond more tightly than dye inks to the paper fibers of the check, so the writing can't be washed away. There's even a stamped "approved product" endorsement from .

Security at the heart of the marketing message for a humble consumer item like the writing pen.

Big deal, eh? In fact, yes. It's a small sign that signifies a sea change of which CSOs should take full advantage. Namely, the average bear—the one who's been ignoring your security awareness newsletter for a few decades—is now becoming attuned to the risks that surround him.

Identity theft is the crime that has captured the public's attention. Here let's tip our caps to state Sen. Steve Peace and Assemblyman Joe Simitian, principal authors of California's SB 1386 statute, because without 1386 none of this would have happened. (September 11 evoked a different kind of security awareness—one soaked with a more visceral fear but, for the everyday citizen, lacking much action she could take other than avoiding airports.)

The upshot is that because people are rightly concerned, you have a chance to position yourself as an ally instead of as a stern schoolmarm, to be regarded as a provider of handy expert advice, not droning lectures.

CSO Managing Editor Michael Goldberg has added a piece called "Pass It On" to the Briefing section in every issue of the magazine. Our aim is to provide action-oriented material that you can forward to various audiences—sometimes the CEO and board (as in the case of July's article on protecting intellectual property), more often to the rank and file (see June's step-by-step instructions for monitoring consumer credit reports). This month we offer a quick take on security metrics that can help inform peers such as those in HR and legal about how your department works (see Page 16).

Material of this sort has always been popular among our readers as they seek that most elusive of beasts, the Security-Aware Employee. The difference now, if Uni-ball's packaging is indeed an indication of the prevailing winds, is that the audience is ready to listen.

So instead of starting your employee reminders with a policy diatribe and a threat of dismissal for noncompliance (surely you haven't actually been doing that very often?), send out a message that says, "A number of our colleagues here at Acme have expressed concerns about identity theft. The security group has created some resources to help you with tasks such as protecting your personal finances."

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