CyberWire Daily - Margaret Cunningham: A people scientist with a technology focus. [Behavioral science} [Career Notes]

Episode Date: June 13, 2021

Principal Research Scientist for Human Behavior at Forcepoint, Margaret Cunningham shares her story of how she landed in cybersecurity. With a background in psychology and counseling and not feeling that one-on-one counseling was her thing, Margaret had a transformational moment in her PhD program in applied experimental technology when she realized she could "provide helping services and good work services at a broader scale." Margaret found her professional footing at DHS's Human Systems Integration Branch of Science and Technology Department as the person who figured out how to measure how new technologies impacted human performance. Margaret points out that making connections and reading whatever you can is important to stay up to date in the field. She notes that her statistical analysis skills are an asset. She hopes to create champions in human behavior and performance in the world of technology. We thank Margaret for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to the Cyber Wire Network, powered by N2K. and VPNs, yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year-over-year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public-facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Thank you. Learn more at zscaler.com slash security. Hello, my name is Margaret Cunningham, and I am a principal research scientist for human behavior at Forcepoint. So strangely enough, I grew up wanting to be an English professor and pursued that through my undergraduate where I was a double major in English and psychology at George Washington University. I finished a master's degree in mental health counseling and quickly figured out that I am not the best person to

provide therapy on a one-on-one level, primarily because I had a hard time leaving it at work. I went into a PhD program in applied experimental know, that transformed my life because I realized that I could provide helping services and good work services at a broader scale. I originally started working in healthcare, human factors, looking at how different types of technology like electronic health record systems impacted care provider performance as well as patient safety factors. I took a role as a consultant for a company called BMT Designers and Planners, which was originally British Maritime Technologies. I did some work for Coast Guard and Navy, but where I really found my footing was supporting

the human systems integration branch at Homeland Security's Science and Technology Department. science and technology department. And what my role there was, was to be the person who, you know, went out when we tested new technologies to figure out how to measure how these technologies impacted human performance. There are a lot of parallels across the industries that I've worked in, and I find it fascinating because so many things carry through. A lot of times we are leaving the human part till last, and I think that's an enormous mistake. Once you put something out in the real world, people will do surprising things with your technology. And often these things are unanticipated and they can create

problems. I think that one of the most critical things that I have done is make connections. Find people who are working on things that you're interested in and show them that you're interested. Talk to people. Never underestimate the amount of reading that you can do. amount of reading that you can do. You know, I'm always trying to keep up with the current science behind human factors, cybersecurity, threat detection, behavioral anomaly detection, and being a voracious reader and someone who's willing to connect with others in the field really can create avenues and opportunities that are unexpected. I really consider myself generally a people scientist with a technology focus.

A lot of behavioral scientists, including myself, have a very strong background in statistical analysis. That's been a huge advantage for me, understanding how to make meaning out of behavioral data. I wouldn't underestimate the power of having some quantitative skills. We have to almost make the space for ourselves. You've got to be creative in what you're looking for, but you also have to find the organization that's a good match where your skill set, what you're offering benefits what they're trying to build or sell. I hope that I've created some champions for human behavior and performance in the world of technology. And what I mean by that is that I hope that by working in teams with people who don't expect to work with someone like me, I will have those people I've worked with when I'm gone seeking another one, seeking someone else to fill that gap because they find that what I've offered has made what they're working on better. Cyber threats are evolving every second, and staying ahead is more than just a challenge.

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