In response to its recent cyber attack, the Co-op Group has formed a strategic partnership with social impact business Hacking Games to help prevent cybercrime by identifying young cyber talent and channelling their skills into positive, ethical careers.
Globally, cybercrime is expected to cost £12tn this year, and a 2022 study from the University of East London found that 69% of European teenagers have committed some form of cybercrime or online offence – such as sexting, illegal gambling, harassment or fraud.
The Group’s initiative comes as the retailer admitted that the cyber attack saw data on all 6.5 million of its members stolen. Only contact details were taken, it added, and not any credit or debit card details, or transaction data
CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq told the BBC: “It hurt my members, they took their data and it hurt our customers and that I do take personally.”
The new cybercrime prevention scheme will combine the Group’s wide UK reach – with store presences across the country, community expertise, 38 Co-op Academy schools and 6.5 million member base with the Hacking Games’ expertise in cybercrime.
With the cyber threat landscape evolving at an alarming rate, the online security sector is valued at £13.2bn, and the government has identified it as a key frontier industry with strong potential for growth. But tens of thousands of cybersecurity jobs in the UK remain vacant – a situation replicated around the world, with 4.8 million cybersecurity unfilled, posing significant risk to individuals, businesses, and governments.
The Group says there is an urgent need to engage Gen Z and inspire them to pursue careers in cybersecurity, putting their skills to ethical use as hackers for good, rather than being drawn down to crime.
The Hacking Games wants to tackle this challenge by connecting the cybersecurity industry with unconventional talent. With over 50% of tech employees self-identifying as neurodivergent in a UK-wide study, the programme focuses on prevention by creating access to opportunity, building resilience, and supporting better choices – especially for those most at risk of exploitation.
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Autistic people, in particular, are seven times more likely to thrive in structured problem-solving environments like cybersecurity, adds the Group, yet 71% of autistic adults in the UK are unemployed.
Co-op Group members have long highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for young people, and the retailer says the new partnership reflects its “values-led approach to tackling the root causes of harm”.
It adds that the scheme is “a long-term initiative with ambitions to develop into a large scale national movement, activated through a wide scale, multi-channel approach”,
Work begins with independent research led by Professor Lusthaus of University of Oxford, a leading expert on the social dimensions of cybercrime and hacking, which will inform future prevention strategies, including a planned pilot within Co-op Academies Trust, which has20,000 students across 38 schools.
The ambition is to co-develop a longer-term programme, with potential to expand to the wider UK education system, that supports earlier engagement, targeted student and parent training, and inspires future pathways into ethical cyber careers.
“We know first-hand what it feels like to be targeted by cybercrime,” said Group Khoury-Haq. “The disruption it causes, the pressure it puts on colleagues, and the impact it has on the people and communities we serve.
“We can’t just stand back and hope it doesn’t happen again – to us or to others. Our members expect us to find a co-operative means of tackling the cause, not just the symptom. Our partnership with the Hacking Games lets us reach talented young people early, guide their skills toward protection rather than harm, and open real paths into ethical work. When we expand opportunity we reduce risk, while having a positive impact on society.”
Fergus Hay, co-founder and CEO of the Hacking Games, said: “There is an incredible amount of cyber talent out there – but many young people don’t see a path into the industry, or simply don’t realise their skills can be used for good. This partnership with Co-op will help unlock that potential. It’s about giving people the opportunity to do something positive, showing that their talents are valued and creating a generation of ethical hackers to make the world safer.”
Security minister Dan Jarvis said: “Cybercrime destroys lives. The criminals carrying out these acts put the public and the economy at risk, and that’s why we’re continuing to take the decisive action necessary to keep UK jobs and businesses safe.
“With just over four in 10businesses reported having experienced any kind of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months, it is vital we inspire the next generation of cyber experts to detect, disrupt, and tackle cybercrime, and to support our economy to grow, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
“Combating this issue will take a whole-of-society approach and we applaud all efforts to ensure that young people are diverted away from illicit behaviour online.”
Greg Francis, cyber offender prevention consultant at 4D Cyber Security Ltd, and former SOCA and NCA cybercrime investigator and prevention officer, who has welcomed the Co-op and the Hacking Games partnership, said: “Unlike their offline counterparts, young people entering cybercrime receive little to no deterrents and are often left to self-police their online activities.
“There’s a vital role for stakeholders – from parents and educators to search engines, gaming platforms and the cybersecurity industry – to embrace their digital responsibility and help young people make informed choices.”
