Exploration study: security-by-design in innovation environments

Lay summary

This study is a treasure hunt, mapping out a research area that might be worth exploring further. Hackathons are fun, fast-paced environments where innovation happens. As we develop technologies, we have to think about the risks they might pose (in terms of risks to people, risks to existing processes and systems, and risks to technology). Hackathons are a great place to start thinking about these ideas, raising awareness of security during the earliest stages of design.

Research proposal

Security-by-design is an important way to prompt innovators to think about security requirements during early development. However, as resources are limited and security does not offer an immediate return on investment, it is often left off the agenda. Hackathons are creative, rapid prototyping environments where innovation and iteration happen. This study explores whether a security awareness intervention increases security engagement in hackathon attendees. In this study, 'security engagement' is a construct composed of: interest in security; transfer of knowledge from researcher to hackathon attendee; active participation (when hackers apply security ideas to their hackathon project).