Users Are Not Stupid: Six Cyber Security Pitfalls Overturned

The skilled and dedicated professionals who strive to improve cyber security may unwittingly fall victim to misconceptions and pitfalls that hold customers and users back from reaching their full potential of being active partners in security. These pitfalls often reflect the cyber security community’s dependence on technology and failure to fully appreciate the human element.

This article offers cyber security professionals a primer so they can recognize and overcome six human element pitfalls in cyber security. Each pitfall is supported by real-world examples or findings from human-centered cybersecurity research. In addition to gaining an awareness of these pitfalls, readers will learn about specific strategies for how they can improve cyber security and empower users at all levels by addressing the human element in their organizations’ cyber security products, decisions, processes, and policies.