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Whether it's clicking on a malicious link or being duped by social engineering tactics, people can unintentionally open the door to significant security breaches for organizations of all sizes.
These mistakes aren’t inevitable or limited to any one role—they can happen to anyone, from top executives to customer service reps—but they are preventable with the right knowledge and constant vigilance in place.
With this in mind, today’s article will examine some real-world examples and some of the most common human errors in cybersecurity to help your organization stay safe and secure. With better awareness and training, organizations can turn their weakest link into a robust first line of defense against cyber threats.
The Role of Human Error in Cybersecurity
Human error tends to play a fundamental role in many cybersecurity breaches, often being the weakest link in the chain—it's not just about hackers exploiting software vulnerabilities; it's also about people making mistakes.
According to a 2023 Verizon study, a worrying 68% of security breaches have some form of human error involved in them. This staggering statistic directly highlights how essential it is to address the human element in cybersecurity strategies head-on.
Studies have shown that employees, regardless of their position, frequently fall victim to phishing scams, use weak passwords, or fail to follow basic security protocols. These common mistakes create entry points for cybercriminals to cause breaches and other security events.
To get a better idea of what’s being discussed here, try to consider the everyday actions that can compromise security:
● Clicking on a suspicious link
● Reusing passwords across multiple sites
● Neglecting software updates
● Not being vigilant about security threats.
Although each of these errors might seem minor in isolation, together, they contribute significantly to your organization's overall risk.
Common Psychological and Behavioral Pitfalls
When it comes to cybersecurity, it isn’t just technical vulnerabilities that pose a threat—human psychology also plays a significant role here, too.
Common cognitive biases, such as overconfidence and the desire for convenience, can often lead to security lapses. For instance, someone might feel overconfident in their ability to spot a phishing email, leading them to lower their guard and inadvertently click on a malicious link.
Keep in mind, however, that malicious links are yesterday’s news—but cybercriminals are always adapting when they need to. Cybercriminals understand that people are often the weakest link in the security chain, and they use this to their advantage.
Phishing, for example, preys on an individual’s trust and urgency, tricking them into providing sensitive information or clicking on harmful links.
One of the most popular methods of phishing nowadays is quishing, which is using malicious QR codes to trick users. Make sure your employees are aware of this threat and use a secure QR code scanner both in the workplace and outside of it.
Baiting and pretexting are other common tactics, where attackers create convincing stories or offer tempting rewards to manipulate victims into compromising their own security.
Along with this, the need for convenience might also drive an employee to download unapproved software or fail to update software promptly, bypassing security protocols and further opening the door to potential threats.
High-Profile Breaches Highlighting Human Error
Human error isn’t just a theoretical risk; it has real-world consequences that have led to some of the most significant data breaches in recent history.
These incidents highlight how small oversights can result in massive security failures, costing companies millions and compromising the data of millions of people.
Equifax Data Breach
In 2017, Equifax experienced one of the most notorious data breaches in history, exposing the personal information of 145 million Americans. The breach was largely due to a series of human errors that ultimately allowed malicious actors to have access to Equifax’s systems.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had alerted Equifax about a vulnerability in their software, yet the company failed to address it promptly.
To help make matters worse, a critical digital certificate used to inspect encrypted traffic had expired months earlier, allowing the attackers to move within the network undetected for over two months.
Ericsson Outage
In December 2018, an expired certificate in Ericsson’s SGSN–MME software led to widespread mobile service outages across 11 countries, including the UK. The incident affected 32 million people, leaving them without access to 4G and SMS services.
However, the outage wasn’t due to a sophisticated cyberattack but rather the simple mistake of letting a digital certificate expire. It highlighted the pressing need for having rigorous certificate management practices in place, as even a minor oversight can disrupt essential services on a massive scale.
Mitigation Strategies for Potential Human Error
Mitigating human error in cybersecurity requires a proactive approach to cybersecurity that combines education, technology, and policy.
After all, not even the best cybersecurity companies can save you from the ensuing calamity if you don’t have internal checks and balances, as well as the means to establish the extent of breaches and the damage caused quickly.
Some key mitigation strategies that your organization may want to consider implementing in its broader cybersecurity strategy include:
● You should implement continuous security training and hold regular training sessions so that your employees are aware of the latest threats.
● Reinforce essential best practices like recognizing phishing attempts, using strong passwords, and following proper protocols for handling sensitive information.
● You want to create a culture of vigilance. Encouraging employees to think critically about their actions and the potential risks involved can help reduce the likelihood of possible mistakes.
● Implement strong access controls, as limiting access to your sensitive data and systems to only pertinent parties can significantly reduce the risk of accidental exposure.
● Using multi-factor authentication can help add an extra layer of security that will make it more difficult for unauthorized individuals to gain access.
● You should compartmentalize your organization’s sensitive data as needed. If some documents cannot be isolated, then the data must be redacted until relevant decision-makers are certain that no confidential information falls into the wrong hands.
● You should regularly review and update your organization's security policies to ensure that they address the latest threats and incorporate lessons learned from past incidents into future plans.
● Conducting regular audits and simulations of possible attacks can pinpoint possible weaknesses in your system and offer valuable insights into how your organization can minimize human error in the future.
Implementing Additional Proactive Security Measures
Waiting for a breach to happen before you take action is a recipe for disaster—that’s exactly why you need to implement proactive security measures so you can stay ahead of potential threats.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by setting up early detection systems within your network. Things like automated workflows and advanced threat detection tools can identify unusual activity or potential vulnerabilities in real-time, including the risks that come with insider threats, allowing security teams to respond before a minor issue becomes a full-blown crisis.
These systems are essential in minimizing the window of opportunity for attackers and catching threats early enough to prevent significant damage. They also help mitigate the impact of emerging threats, such as evolving threats being powered by evolutions in AI and related technology.
Put simply, AI also poses a cybersecurity risk—at present, it multiplies the scale at which attacks can be undertaken. However, even a cursory reading of the news will let you see how its advancement, particularly in video generation, will make it an ongoing thorn in the side of cybersecurity professionals going forward.
Equally important is having strong and reliable incident response protocols in place within your organization. Never forget that no system is foolproof, and breaches can still occur despite having the best preventive measures in place.
Conclusion
Protecting against human error in cybersecurity is just as much about strategy as it is about technology.
Understanding the ways people can inadvertently weaken defenses and implementing measures to prevent these mistakes can make all the difference in keeping your organization secure.
Whether it's ongoing employee education, quick-response protocols, or embedding security into every step of the development process, following the advice outlined above can help organizations stay ahead of emerging threats and new attack vectors.