We see the word “cyber” everywhere today. It’s included in all the hashtags, events names and even in hand sanitizer available for purchase at Toys ‘R Us: Cyber Clean (72% ethanol alcohol, with aloe.)

With the market booming and the buzzword exploding, many of us still don’t understand what this vague word means. We’re simply toeing the line, either reluctantly when our IT department sends out a reminder to complete our annual security training or enthusiastically to survive and spread the good word.

To solicit more feedback from my peers, I conducted and shared a LinkedIn Poll with my professional network in February 2021 (shown below.) Out of 33 voters, just over half of those polled had no or partial understanding of the origin and meaning of the word “cyber.

LinkedIn poll on understanding and meaning of the word cyber

How was the term “cyber” coined?

“Cyber” has origins to the Greek word “kubernetes.” If you work in tech or have hung around developers long enough, you may have heard of this open source container system, designed by Google, that automates application deployment.

When we study the Greek roots of the word “kubernetes,” we learn that it refers to a pilot or steersman and that it is closely related to the Greek word “kubernesis” – the gift of governance that applies to leadership.

A quick history lesson teaches us that “cybernetics” was first coined and published by Norbert Wiener in the 1940s. Wiener was involved in the fields of computer science, engineering and biology. He studied their interconnection, specifically the relationship between computers and the human nervous system. Wiener pioneered this fascinating new hybrid field of anthro-cyber, which sprouted up in Ivy League University lecture halls and amphitheaters over half a century ago!

By the late 1980s, with the help of Gizmodo, we have (Read more...)