Teetering on the precipice - how we can save kids from a career in cybercrime
What draws a teenager from gaming late into the night to probing systems they were never meant to access? This keynote traces the journey many young people now take, beginning with cheat codes and exploits on gaming platforms, sliding into forums where tools and tactics are shared, and too often crossing the line into cybercrime. Almost 69% of European teens admit to committing a cybercrime/misdemeanor, showing just how blurred that line has become. The average cybercriminal today is just 19 years old, far younger than the average age of 37 for traditional crime. We’ll examine why this pattern is emerging, the social and cultural forces driving it, and the real-world costs for industry and society. More importantly, we’ll explore how to intervene - reshaping the narrative around hacking, creating legitimate pathways for talent, and showing how the same skills that threaten businesses can also protect them.
Speaker
Fergus Hay
CEO and Co-Founder, The Hacking Games
Fergus Hay is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Hacking Games, an entertainment, training and talent enterprise committed to creating a generation of Ethical Hackers to make the world safer. With $10.5 Trn forecasted to be lost to Cybercrime in 2025 and 69% of European teenagers having committed a cybercrime/misdemeanor, we are facing a generational crisis. The Hacking Games will inspire, educate and equip this generation to be defenders and not attackers. Fergus is also Co-Founder of growth and ... read more