By: Gabriel Mallari
Introduction
Through the network, navigation, and data, most of the society automatically assumes the only major relation of cybersecurity is the safety and protection of the internet. However, systems cannot process these tasks independently. Cybersecurity needs human input to create, optimize, and protect these systems. The “Human Factor” of cybersecurity examines the effects of human interaction and how it influences systems and processes. The positives and negatives of human behavior, judgement, habits, and mistakes have onto cybersecurity.
Human Factor
The “Human Factor” is the accountability of human influence onto cybersecurity. Since these systems cannot do everything independently, human input is necessary to create the most efficient and quality system. However, since human decision making can also be flawed, it can cause more harm than good depending on the situation and human intent (The Human Factor in Cybersecurity: From Risk Profiles to Resilience). Human behavior can contribute to many positives within the field of cybersecurity, such as quick decision making, proper training, communication and honesty can help identify, solve, and prevent attacks that arise. Human behavior can also cause cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents that could cause network failure, organization scandals, and harmful interactions
Risk Factor
The risk factor dependent on human factors can be split into two general categories: Accidental and intentional, both with varying effects and damage.
Accidental risks that can occur based on human factors are unintentional incidents, mainly due to ignorance, confusion, or negligence. When an organization doesn’t apply standards for internet knowledge, many employees will be ignorant. While not intended to cause harm, these users can incorrectly use equipment or systems, which develop either into minor or major issues. If many employees are too unsure how to navigate cybersecurity and get confused as well, which can derail or postpone important work that the IT department may need to attend to, so that they can fix these minor issues that should be within the ability of the employee to fix, or not occur in the first place. Negligence is also an issue, since even if it is not on purpose, it can cause a load of problems really fast if it were breached. The use of weak passwords and other protection authentication can cause an organization to possibly go bankrupt, as if important documents were to be leaked, can create a catastrophe due to the applied cybersecurity being properly held accountable.
Intentional cybersecurity risks based on human actions can create more of a legal problem, as there was malice intent for the incident. If an inside threat was to use the vulnerabilities or find them within the organization’s cybersecurity, it could cause major damage or build up to a scandal if the incident were to surface. This could be harmful to a business, as it can expose the workplace, confidential information, and many more. This gets more legal as it can likely turn into a crime then a “harmless incident” and the organization will likely have to sue the perpetrator and go to court to settle. This can leave permanent damage to the systems of the organization, as crimes through the human factor can focus on direct vulnerabilities and cause lasting damage.
Maintaining Human Factor
Organizations can avoid and reduce these human related cybersecurity risks by taking proper precautions and training of their employees, while also creating a beneficial work environment for productivity. Taking proper precautions within cybersecurity can reduce the amount of vulnerabilities, as multiple authentication methods, complex software and hardware, and user-friendly appliances can assist those who may get confused. Training employees about cybersecurity can effectively create a better environment, as a standard for everyone to have the same foundation. A better work environment may cause a reduction in intentional human factor risk, as it allows those who are within the organization to have less complaints and slowly devolve towards intentional harm to companies. Many of the intentional insider human factors that can cause damage are due to the treatment within the organization themself. A stressful work environment, low salary, miscommunication, and strict setting can cause employee’s psychology to change, causing social and behavior distress, and result in employees taking actions against the organization.
Conclusion
Human interaction and behavior are a much bigger influence on cybersecurity than many may perceive. Instead of overlooking, it is important that many more organizations take this into consideration as it can possibly be the breaking point on whether that company goes bankrupt or not due to one person’s human factor.
Works Cited
Przymus, Zofia, et al. “The Human Factor in Cybersecurity: From Risk Profiles to Resilience – Sciencedirect.” scienceDirect, Kozminski University, 28 Nov. 2024,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050924026383.