Is online security hindered by computer jargon?

By Greg Day, EMEA Security CTO for Symantec | February 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Whether computer jargon is creating a barrier preventing people from learning how to protect themselves online is a discussion taking place at this week’s EastWest Institute meeting of global security experts. The EastWest Institute is a ‘think-and-do tank’ dedicated to debating pressing global security concerns and working with a network of individuals, institutions and nations to discuss and implement solutions.

The importance of using plain language to discuss computer threats isn’t a top priority of their seventh annual Worldwide Security Conference, headlined by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, but it is still an important conversation.

“We use a lot of complex terminology where it’s not needed. We don’t encourage people to think enough,” said Steve Purser, head of technical competence at the European Network and Information Security Agency, speaking to Reuters.

People shouldn’t be made to feel baffled by IT security. Part of the job of vendors like Symantec, and other industry professionals, is to demystify it. Cybercriminals are evolving different tactics and increasingly new threats don’t always have a textbook answer. That’s why it’s incredibly important for people to have accessible sources of information in simple, easy-to-understand language. It’s particularly critical for smaller businesses who often don’t have a dedicated IT person to turn to. Do you feel that as an industry we need to be better at getting past the jargon?

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