Pride Month, Computing Pioneer Turing, and CSNP's Commitment to Growing Diversity in Cybersecurity

Pride Month, Computing Pioneer Turing, and CSNP's Commitment to Growing Diversity in Cybersecurity

Celebrating Pride Month means more than helping amplify voices and asserting the importance of embracing diversity and inclusion for people of all walks of life. For CSNP, we're actively working to spread awareness of cybersecurity amongst all people—especially amongst those underrepresented in the industry—with the hope and recognition that helping to grow a more diverse, equal, and inclusive cybersecurity field means a stronger, more innovative, and robust field. It's difficult to overstate the importance of being adaptable and creative in addressing the challenges that emerge in information security at a pace unlike we've ever seen.

This month we also celebrate the contribution of Alan Turing who was the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. He was also a gay man who was persecuted—and even prosecuted—because of that fact, a reminder that an intolerant, non-inclusive past is never too far behind us, and still carries echoes in modern society.

We all can play a role in bringing others into the field and helping them feel welcome and valued. We're always looking to reach new people, so please spread the word about CSNP with those for whom cybersecurity might be a new world, and even as a potential career path.

How One Man Paved the Way for Modern Day Cybersecurity

Alan Turing is considered the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing's work has had a profound impact on the field of cybersecurity. His contributions have helped to make it possible to protect our critical infrastructure and systems from cyberattacks. He made significant contributions to the field of cybersecurity, including:

• The Turing Test: Turing developed the Turing Test, a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. The Turing Test is still used today as a benchmark for artificial intelligence.
• The Enigma Machine: During World War II, Turing led a team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park who were able to crack the Enigma machine, a German cipher machine that was used to encrypt military communications. This was a major turning point in the war, and it is estimated that it shortened the war by several years.
• CAPTCHA: CAPTCHAs, or Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, are used to prevent automated bots from accessing websites and services. CAPTCHAs are based on the Turing Test, and they require users to solve a challenge that is easy for humans but difficult for computers.

In addition to his work on cybersecurity, Turing also made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, logic, and artificial intelligence. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of computing, and his work continues to inspire and influence researchers today.

Sadly, his life ended at age 41 from cyanide poisoning. Turing was prosecuted under laws that prohibited homosexual acts and he only avoided prison by agreeing to chemical castration, which has since compelled a formal apology from the British government and resulted in the Alan Turing Law, a 2017 correction in UK law which struck down convictions of anyone who had been convicted of related acts.

Connect with CSNP

Interested in getting more involved with CSNP? Here are several ways you can: Join the online Slack community, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, see content on YouTube, speak at an event, become a CSNP volunteer, or donate to support our mission.