Human Error in Cybersecurity: Risk Factors and Mitigation

Making mistakes is one of the core parts of human experiences. When it comes to cybersecurity, one of the most intriguing findings is that more than 90% of all cybercrimes involve human error.

According to the report “Managing insider risk,” published by Experian, more than 65% of security professionals and data security personnel labeled their employees as the “weakest link” when shielding their organization from cybercrimes. 

A mammoth of these successful data breaches is from cybercriminals who prey on unsuspecting staff to give them access to confidential information unwittingly.

Whether employees are careless, uninformed, or negligent, implementing effective perimeter defences through taking Cyber security courses online is imperative to counter cyber threats.

The Risk Factor

Against the escalating number of cyber incidences in the IT landscape, more than 55% of organizations are appreciating the fact that their security may be compromised and that one of the most significant threats is their own workers. 

Most of these businesses admit that beyond the apparent human error and lack of appropriate training, the careless action of their employees is putting the company’s security mechanisms at risk. 

Taking a closer look at findings obtained by the IT security risks survey in 2017, the variation of inappropriate use of company resources varies with business size with the very small businesses reporting the least incidences. 

The risk factor encompasses a wide range of actions – from downloading a Trojan disguised as a software update to clicking on an advert or uploading a video blog out of sheer enthusiasm, which makes it very hard to contain. 

With the increasing number of interconnected networks coupled with a whole range of usernames and passwords, employees resolve to take shortcuts, which could jeopardize the organization’s security strategy.

When employees are not provided alternatives like an ethical hacking course, the constant threat of cybercrime would always be real and affect the organization’s decision-making and progress.

Exploiting Human Curiosity

Sometimes users could take security implementation strategies too lightly, which increases their susceptibility to cybercrimes and leaves the company with a whole lot of mess to clear. 

One of the most effective strategies used by certified ethical hacker is exploiting human curiosity to hammer the systems with their bots.

Beyond the apparent need to offer employees a thorough ethical hacking course, security frameworks should implement an excellent strategy since the internet has enabled flexibility that provides hackers with a colossal number of options to set foot on the system. 

Attackers are so advanced that they manipulate basic human emotions for their benefit. Once they gain access to the company by sending malicious links, fake emails, or disguised Trojans, they trick employees to clicking the links consequently gaining access to classified company information. 

However, according to Verizon, there is evidence that points towards users being more tech-savvy and resolving to use more secure ways like typing URLs on browsers manually rather than clicking on such links. 

This new trend could appear to be true, but there is still a need to encourage employees to enroll in an ethical hacking course to counter strategic cybercriminal antics.

Technology Alone Isn’t Sufficient

As mistakes are purely made by people who unknowingly send out sensitive information, there are sophisticated technologies tailored for organizations to counter social engineering threats.

As hackers are continually dependent on manipulating people to clink links that they could have otherwise avoided, technology is providing automated safeguards against such external threats.

Any successful organization must focus on three critical success factors – people, process, and technology – to holistically counter cyberattacks. 

While the “people” component remains the weakest link to cybersecurity, there is insufficient attention to this portion when it comes to implementing proper strategies against cybercrimes. 

From utilizing the expertise of CEH v10 professionals to raising awareness among employees combined with technology and process, devastating errors can be successfully stemmed. 

Keeping organizations safe relies on the continuous implementation of such strategies and reporting suspicious occurrences to mitigate possible risks. 

Mitigating Human Error in Cybersecurity

According to a study by HIMSS Analytics in 2017, email phishing is the most prominent cybersecurity attack, with most organizations reposting at least a 78% malware and Trojan attack.

So the question that’s becoming a hot topic is whether besides taking an ethical hacking course or Cyber security courses online, it’s possible to overcome inadvertent actor incidences. 

To reduce the vulnerabilities and mitigate the impact of human error, it’s essential for companies to implement a thorough security analysis, a well-established data security policy, and encourage employees to resist triggered automatic responses.

Data thieves heavily rely on carelessness, and nothing makes this fact more valid than passwords. When fortified conducts penetration is performed in any organization to evaluate password strength, it’s common to find more than 33% of users having incredibly predictable passwords.

From using strong passwords to encouraging responsible social media sharing, mitigating human error relies heavily on user responsibility.

Conclusion

Cyberattacks are commonly performed using the watering-hole attack – so named because cybercriminals silently wait for their prey to fall into their trap.

As long as humans are at the heart of data flow in an organization, mistakes will inevitably occur. This fact calls for deploying CEH v10 certified professionals coupled with effective cybersecurity measures to raise the organization’s security posture.