Abnormal signals intel chief named godfather of UK safety

Sixth annual Security Valuable Unsung Heroes Awards honours ragged Royal Corps of Signals colonel and infosec pioneer John Doody

Alex Scroxton

Alex Scroxton,
Security Editor

Published: 13 Oct 2021 9: 00

A retired Royal Corps of Signals colonel, John Doody, has been named the Godfather of Security at the annual Security Valuable Unsung Heroes Awards, which recognises the country’s absolute best ethical hackers, rising stars, educators, cyber campaigns and safety teams which can also very effectively be working laborious both to guard the UK from digitally enabled crime and other threats, and elevate consciousness of cyber safety components.

Now working as director and founding father of Interlocutor Providers, a cyber consultancy he established in 2003 after leaving the forces, as effectively as being an adviser to other safety corporations and a effectively-identified safety speaker and advocate, Doody spent extra than three a protracted time in the armed products and providers, which he joined after randomly walking by a recruiting space of job in York, after at the foundation working in retail.

The self-described workaholic rose through the ranks, gaining skills in telecoms engineering and administration in the early 1970s, which opened the door to his subsequent occupation in knowledge safety.

Doody went on to encourage varied strategic engineering appointments at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), along side operating contrivance toughen for Ptarmigan and Wavell, the military’s tactical comms and uncover knowledge contrivance (CIS) products and providers, respectively. He later became director in the procurement executive as challenge supervisor for military digital warfare, battlefield target engagement contrivance (Bates), air defence CIS contrivance (Adcis) and Wavell, and worked on the study and trend of digital warfare simulation instruments.

He in a roundabout plan spent 10 years as head of data assurance customer products and providers at CESG, the executive’s national technical authority for knowledge assurance (now segment of the National Cyber Security Centre) and GCHQ.

“I am emotionally overwhelmed and humbled to be chosen for this prestigious award,” said Doody. “I am in my 63rd yr in the occupation, along side my full dedication to the national cyber safety posture, and will proceed to wait on the nation as prolonged as I am ready.

“Cyber safety is the largest boost occupation in the UK and I am so privileged to be recognised for my devoted evangelism on the topic.”

Now in its sixth yr, the awards, orchestrated by cyber public relations specialist Eskenzi and supported by the likes of KnowBe4, Protiviti, Intaso and Procordr, were this yr compered by stand-up and comedy author Bennett Arron, who made headlines in 2007 after stealing the private data of the then home secretary, Charles Clarke, in a stunt for a Channel 4 programme on identification theft. The prank backfired somewhat as it in a roundabout plan reinforced Clarke’s dedication to the final Labour executive’s attempts to introduce identification cards for UK citizens.

The award ceremony additionally recognised a extra most fashionable institution in the invent of a brand contemporary ransomware engagement and consciousness campaign, #Ransomaware, a coalition of relish-minded folk and organisations location up by managed safety products and providers provider Talion earlier in 2021.

The campaigners are encouraging organisations to keep in touch up about their experiences of ransomware without disgrace or judgment, on the postulate that the extra folk which can also very effectively be ready to keep in touch about how they were attacked, by whom, and what they did about it, the upper ready the wider cyber neighborhood would possibly maybe presumably well well be to face down cyber prison ransomware gangs.

Utterly different award winners integrated ethical hacker and creator Andy Gill, data safety specialist Emily Overton, Glasgow Caledonian College’s head of cyber safety and networks Jackie Riley, NCC Community pen testers Dale Pavey and Guy Morley, instrument engineer and safety specialist Jenny Codes, safety chief and anti-bullying campaigner Marilise de Villiers, the CyberNews study crew, and Urenco Community CISO Alison Dyer.

“Cyber safety and the folk within this industry are frequently not given the reputation and appreciation they deserve,” said award organiser Yvonne Eskenzi.

“By web web hosting this match, we are radiant a gentle-weight on all of the laborious work that goes on at the again of the scenes to guard organisations from the specter of cyber crime. Thanks to our nice sponsors, we were capable of host an improbable party at no cost to our attendees and acknowledge all of the amazing and proficient folk on this industry.”