The Human Element of Cybersecurity: People are the Weakest Link

Cybersecurity related human error is something that’s been talked about ad nauseam. The human factor remains the weakest link in cybersecurity despite advancements in technology. Understanding this vulnerability becomes critical at a time when businesses are transforming digitally and are renting firewalls, servers, and routers. Therefore, let us examine some reasons why humans are the biggest Achilles heel in cybersecurity.

Start with the Human Factor

Cybersecurity is not only about systems, software as well as hardware. It’s about people. Though technology can create strong points and defenses, humans are often the unwitting ones who unlock the door to cyber threats. Employee risk is a word for what can happen when internal staff errors can affect security systems. But why is this the case? It’s human nature, in essence. We are creatures of habit, and, unfortunately, some of these habits can open the door to vulnerabilities. Let’s break it down further.

Common Human Errors

Employees’ day-to-day decisions and actions can often be the source of security breaches. Let me take you through few most prevalent human errors that bring down cybersecurity:

• Phishing Attacks
• Employees opening suspicious emails with attached links or files
• Entering credentials on phishing sites that look like real ones
• Weak Passwords
• Using the same passwords for multiple accounts
• Not changing passwords regularly
• Bungling of Data
• Exposing sensitive data to insecure channels
• Lack of shredding or proper disposal of sensitive information
• Not Updating Software
• Failing to install system updates
• Installing security patches at a later time

Understanding these very common pathologies allows them to be addressed before they have caused serious damage.

Real-World Examples

Mistakes by humans are frequently the opening move in real-world breaches. The infamous Target breach in 2013 was caused by a phishing attack that took advantage of a third-party vendor. This breach compromised the credit card details of several millions of customers. What began as a simple email turned into a billion dollar financial and reputational loss. Another famous case was the 2014 Sony Pictures hack. And the human error that led to the data loss — an employee clicking on a malicious email attachment — produced both massive data loss and one public relations crisis, showing how one error can have cascading results. Actually, these are examples that highlight the human factor in cybersecurity, which needs to be addressed.

Mitigation Strategies

We cannot eradicate human error, but we definitely can minimize it and its effects. Here are tips for how businesses can strengthen their defenses:

• Comprehensive Training
• Always practice cybersecurity awareness programs
• Educate employees on phishing techniques and scams
• All Password Policies
• Encourage individual dong, done passwords for different sites
• Use multi-factor authentication
• Ongoing Monitoring and Testing
• Employ simulated phishing campaigns to evaluate employee preparedness
• Detect suspicious behavior from network activities
• Standards for Protection of Data
• Control data access on a role basis
• Encode sensitive data
• Regular System Updates
• Keep all software and applications patched
• Automate patch management, if you can

These strategies can be a layer among cybersecurity culture where vigilance and awareness are embraced as the norm.

Conclusion

For all the technophobes: Given that human error is a significant part of the cybersecurity puzzle, understanding it is particularly important for businesses that lease firewalls, servers and routers. As the old saying goes, employees are often the weakest link — but with the proper training and protocols, employees can serve as a strong line of defense. This human aspect has always been a part of cybersecurity, and by controlling it, one can also minimize risks to the company and their most valuable asset.

And as always, in cybersecurity, the best investment is in people. When effectively supervised, human error cybersecurity can bolster your defenses similarly to any hardware you rent out.