Vladlena Benson

Professor of Cybersecurity Management Aston University

  • Birmingham

Professor Benson is an industry-recognised expert in cybersecurity management and governance.

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Spotlight

2 min

Aston University cyber expert to appear at FinTech event in Birmingham

'FinTech Secured – Next Generation' will showcase the work of leading stakeholders in the research and development of financial technology (FinTech) and security Professor Vladlena Benson will offer insight on illicit money flows and trends in Financial Security Registrations are now open for the event on 7 June 2022 at The Compound, Birmingham. The director of the Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University is set to appear at a networking event around financial technology (FinTech). Following the success of their first flagship event of 2022 ‘Secure by Design, Advanced Manufacturing’, Midlands Cyber will launch 'FinTech Secured – Next Generation' on the 7 June 2022. The event will be the first face to face event after the pandemic in Birmingham, bringing together thought leaders and service applications specialists for an evening of industry networking. Professor Vladlena Benson, who also serves on the EU’s Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) task force defining the Cybersecurity Skills Framework at the European level, will be joined by contacts from within the cryptocurrency sector and offer insight on illicit money flows and trends in financial security. The event will also showcase the work of leading stakeholders in the research and development of FinTech and financial security. FinTech’s academic innovators, CEOs and company founders, entrepreneurs, contractors, investors and policymakers are encouraged to register now to discuss, participate, network and put their questions to our panel of industry experts. Professor Vladlena Benson, an industry-recognised expert in cybersecurity risk management and director of CSI Centre at Aston Business School, said: “Financial services are core to the UK economy and continue to be a common target for cyber criminals. Challenges to the insurance sector and cyber crime prosecution when crypto assets are involved are emerging and at the CSI we are working to provide forensic and data integrity solutions which help secure the FinTech sector.” User of contactless Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV) may be interested in the insights of Tom Chothia, reader in cyber security at the University of Birmingham, on how the vulnerabilities of Apple Pay and Visa could enable hackers to ’Take £1000 from a locked iPhone’. Registrations are now open to join the cluster at 18:00 hrs on the 7 June 2022 at The Compound, Birmingham.

Vladlena Benson

3 min

Aston University expert to talk on gender diversity and inclusion at major cyber security event

The Ethnic Minority in Cyber (EMiC) network's flagship event is supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Attendees will hear from inspirational speakers looking at current and future initiatives to increase diversity in the cyber sector Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy from Aston University will be presenting a talk on gender diversity and inclusion in cyber. An Aston University expert and founding group member of Ethnic Minority in Cyber (EMiC) is set to present a talk at a major cybersecurity event on 28 April 2022. The EMiC network's flagship symposium is supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and will take place at Edgbaston Park Hotel in Birmingham. Attendees will hear from inspirational speakers looking at current and future initiatives aimed around increasing diversity in the cyber sector and will also be able to provide feedback into the initiative and policies going forward. The symposium will consist of a keynote speech, invited talks, panel sessions and round table workshops. Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy from the Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston Business School will present a talk on gender diversity and inclusion in cyber and the outreach work of the Centre with schools to increase representation. Simon Hepburn, CEO UK, Cyber Security Council is the keynote speaker. The EMiC network, of which Aston University is a founding member, is a pilot network for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority cyber academia, professionals and businesses, with the long-term aim of significantly improving representation across the cyber sector. Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, lecturer in cyber security management at the CSI Centre at Aston Business School, says: “I am looking forward to speaking at such an important event about an ever-important topic in cyber. “While there is a growing cyber security skills gap and high shortage in the UK cyber sector, a recent survey found that only 17 per cent of cyber professionals are from ethnic minority backgrounds across all cyber roles. “The cyber sector remains relatively nondiverse in terms of gender. Just 16 per cent of the workforce across these firms is female, compared to 28 per cent in other UK digital sectors. “Those filling senior roles, typically with six or more years of experience, are particularly nondiverse across a range of characteristics including gender, ethnicity, disability and neurodiversity. “For example, just three per cent of senior roles are filled by women.” Aston University’s CSI centre, led by Professor Vladlena Benson, is the only female-led cyber security centre in the Midlands region and serves on the UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC), alongside Simon Hepburn its CEO, to promote professionalism standards in cybersecurity. Professor Benson, director of the CSI Centre at Aston Business School, said: “Aston University CSI is actively involved in shaping diversity policy, such as with the launch of the NCS22 strategy in Birmingham and enabling the Cyber Explorer programme as a first schools’ engagement for girls from diverse backgrounds. “As ambassadors we are passionate about working towards closing the gender gap. This will help pave the way for a future of gender diversity, and hopefully other types of diversity, in the cyber security field. “Our work with female students in a highly diverse Midlands’ landscape highlights the challenges that are yet to overcome with the levelling up agenda.” To find out more about the event please visit the site here.

Vladlena Benson

2 min

Aston University cyber security experts to work with EY on cyber security ecosystem research to support UK Government strategy

EY Government and Public Sector Cyber Security team and the Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University won £180,000 in funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Experts will work with the UK Government to find appropriate opportunities for investment in cyber security The research will map blind spots within the UK’s regional security innovation systems. Cyber security experts at Aston University will work with the Government to support its national cyber security strategy by mapping blind spots in the UK’s regional cyber security systems. The Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University will work with EY Cyber Security Consulting on the £180,000 project for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to research and map the UK cyber security ecosystem. The project will consider the current environment, conditions and interventions that exist to influence or affect companies providing cyber security products, services or solutions to support and contribute to the development and growth of cyber security businesses in the UK. The aims of this research are to provide the DCMS with robust evidence of a region-by-region picture of where public, private, academic and industry support mechanisms are in place and to identify service and geographical gaps in their provision. It comes after the CSI Centre helped launch the UK government’s National Cyber Strategy 2022 in Birmingham at a special event last December, for which Aston University professor of cybersecurity management, Vladlena Benson, was an instrumental member of the organising committee. The current project will enable the strategy implementation to support the UK Government’s ambition to grow innovation and academic research in cyber. Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, lecturer in cyber security management at the CSI Centre at Aston Business School, says: “From the datasets collected that includes different cyber security businesses, incubators, accelerators, clusters, academic centres of excellence and other different mechanisms from across the UK, analysis will be conducted to provide a region-by-region basis of practices involved. “The mapping of the cyber security landscape will also enable the enhancement of skills and diversity across the cyber security sector. “The diversity in cyber security market lags other digital sectors, with the cyber workforce consisting of only 15% females, 16% ethnic minority backgrounds and 9% neurodivergent. The results of this project will be an important contribution for the government to foster the growth of a sustainable, innovative, and internationally competitive cyber and information security sector.”

Vladlena Benson
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Biography

Professor Benson is a Director of the Cyber Security Innovation Research Centre. She has published over 100 journal papers, books, edited volumes and other publications. Vladlena's research encompasses areas of innovation actions across cybersecurity risk management, financial and VFA technologies. Her research at Aston has been supported by grants from the European Commission, GCRF, Ministry of Science and Technology (Taiwan), UKRI Strategic Priorities and the British Council. She is a member of the national Digital Policy Alliance Security Skills and Partnerships group (with Lord Lucas the Political chair), Vladlena is now working with multiple organisations and government moulding future national policy within Cyber Security, Skills and Partnerships. Alongside her academic role, she is a member of the UK Cyber Security Council (UK CSC) WS6 representing Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) where she is Board Member. Prof. Benson serves on the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) defining the criteria for European Cybersecurity Framework at the EU level.

Areas of Expertise

Emergent Technologies
Cybersecurity and Risk Management
Digital Transformation

Accomplishments

Women in IT Awards Editor's Choice

2017

Education

University of Texas at Dallas

PhD

Computer Science

2001

Media Appearances

Coronavirus and cybercrime: Germany assumes EU presidency with strong focus on cybersecurity

The Daily Swig  online

2020-07-24

“The EU has had a reactive focus on cybersecurity, but the crisis – and working from home – has made innovation necessary, and it is moving higher up the priority list,” says Vladlena Benson, professor of Cybersecurity Management at Aston University and board member of the ISACA UK Central Chapter.

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Social Media Genie Won't Go Back In The Bottle, So We Must Teach Youngsters To Use It Wisely

Independent  online

2017-07-23

Teenagers in Britain are fortunate to have access to computers, laptops and smartphones from an early age. A child in the UK receives a smartphone at around the age of 12 – among the earliest in Europe. The natural consequence of this is that children spend a significant amount of their time on the internet.

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Study shows current university students are safer and more responsible social media users

Phys.org  online

2015-11-09

Vladlena Benson, associate professor in accounting, finance and informatics at the Kingston Business School, who led the research, said that the study's findings challenged current thinking about social media. "Students' use of social media has now matured - and this group is keen to access networking services to support their learning experiences," she said. "Higher education providers must not miss the opportunity to exploit the tech-savviness of learners because of a mistaken belief that the online environment is too risky or that students won't be interested in using social media for learning."

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Articles

Understanding the Relationship Between Cybercrime and Human Behavior Through Criminological Theories and Social Networking Sites

Encyclopedia of Criminal Activities and the Deep Web

Anne-Marie Mohammed, Vladlena Benson, George Saridakis

2020-01-01

This article seeks to gain a better understanding of how to address some of the challenges in the digital world. In order to do this, the authors presented some of the emerging issues in the psychology of human behavior and the ever changing nature of cyber threats in the digital world. They reviewed both the theories of crime (i.e., self-control and rational choice theories) and the empirical studies that have examined user behavior on social networking sites leading to victimization. Importantly, they mentioned the role of social engineering as the entry point of many of these sophisticated attacks. They went on to examine the relevance of the human element as the starting point of implementing cyber security programs in organizations as well as securing individual online behavior. Furthermore, issues that are associated with the emerging trends in human behavior research as well as ethics were also discussed. They acknowledge that much more academic attention is needed in this area to avoid the exponential growth of future information breaches.

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Information and communication technologies: a curse or blessing for SMEs?

Emerging Cyber Threats and Cognitive Vulnerabilities

Anne-Marie Mohammed, Bochra Idris, George Saridakis, Vladlena Benson

2020-01-01

This chapter discusses the risk and compliance challenges arising from the growing use of information and communication technologies by firms, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises. It argues that firms utilize technological advancements to make business transactions quicker and more efficient and enable globalization by relying on the Internet as a strategic tool. It further demonstrates that by so doing, it in turn allows for cyber security threats, which may lead to financial losses and damaged reputations.

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Risk and social influence in sustainable smart home technologies: A persuasive systems design model

Cyber Influence and Cognitive Threats

Nataliya Shevchuk, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Vladlena Benson

2020-01-01

Because of the emerging spread of smart home technologies, reaching and influencing people's behaviour is easier than ever before. Introduction of innovative information systems (IS), present in everyday life, should not ignore the users' security concerns for privacy. We believe that this notion also applies to Green IS that trigger sustainable behaviour change. To understand better the users' perceptions of sustainable persuasive smart home technologies, we inspect a case of a persuasive smart metering system. Specifically, we look at how persuasive systems design influences intention to continue using a smart metering system as well as how risk and self-disclosure affect the impact of the persuasive systems design on a smart metering system. We developed a research model and formed hypotheses by drawing on Persuasive Systems Design model and Adaption Level Theory. We used a smart metering system enhanced with the persuasive features as an illustration of a sustainable persuasive smart home technology. Results of our study provide insights relevant for the further research of security issues in sustainable persuasive smart home technologies as well as for practitioners who introduce similar technologies to the users.

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