Technology and internet industry veterans Peter Kazacos and Peter Coroneos have embraced the cyber security market with a unique play for Australian enterprises.
Kazacos, past Chairman of the AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association) and founder of Kaz Group has enlisted Peter Coroneos, long serving former chief executive of the Internet Industry Association (IIA) and acknowledged international cyber thought leader, to lead the new company, Icon Cyber.
Said Mr Kazacos, “Like many, I was impressed by Peter (Coroneos)’s innovative approach to cyber policy, demonstrated during his almost 15 years leading the IIA, by initiatives such as icode, later adopted in the US at the behest of the White House.”
“Since leaving the IIA, Peter has remained active in the cyber security landscape taking icode internationally, delivering keynotes, writing authoritatively on cyber issues and recently launching the Cybersecurity Advisors Network in APAC”.
“As a highly respected internet industry figure, and a key player in shaping the current internet as we know it here, Peter’s deep insights into the causes of cyber risk behaviour as well as his strong leadership credentials were key factors is his recruitment. I expect his renewed advocacy will fundamentally shift current leadership thinking on managing human vulnerability.”
The pair have committed to applying deep behavioral learning principles, particularly for boards and executive leaders as an immediate priority.
Peter Coroneos responded. “Despite two decades of cyber security awareness training in many forms, including the involvement of significant government funding, people are still making basic and avoidable errors. This tells us that awareness raising alone is not sufficient to mitigate human caused risks. Early in my tenure at the IIA, I became convinced that sustained and measurable behavioural change was the necessary goal. Yet we’ve seen so little application of this in practice, suggesting that people are applying the same ineffective solutions and expecting that something will change. The approach is what has to change.”
Informed by these insights, Icon Cyber this week launches its flagship initiative, @STAKE which promises to deliver an innovative, immersive simulation of cyber attack. The company has pioneered what it calls ‘Decision Rehearsal’.
In addition to its commercial focus, Icon Cyber has committed to a strong social agenda starting with education for vulnerable seniors in Australia who continue to be exploited through cyber fraud.
Peter Kazacos elaborated, “We both find it unsettling that those least able to sustain financial loss are, because of their naivety and the ever-increasing sophistication of scammers, most susceptible to it. We are committed to applying our approach to protecting those most in need.
