Name: Kayla MacPherson

Date: October 21,2021

Details

 A square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square. Although debatable in specific counter-cases, the motives, desires, risks and more of cybersecurity always go back to human behavior, but human behavior does not always go back to cybersecurity. The dual ends of a computer screen of the innocent old man falling for a phishing email and the hacker thousands of miles away are both controlled by their own and one another’s behavior. 

Cybersecurity would be nowhere as advanced as it is today if it was not for the purposeful analysis of human behavior. Enough so to wonder would there really be cybersecurity without it. Even if we attempted not to allow it to influence either side of cybersecurity, it would still indirectly navigate the way in which we analyze the cybersecurity world. Truthfully, there’s little to no point not to consider it. A Cyberbitsec article based on their work with Mark Skilton is able to state it best, behavior science allows us to understand and explain cybersecurity “across different dimensions”. The complexity of our world does mark it necessary that we do not have one sound principle to follow. Understanding individualized and specific perspectives allows new developments to encompass skills and technology that is overall more accessible for all. 

Why accessible though? Capone is truthful when he discusses the implications of human error within the cybersecurity world in his article, The impact of human behavior on security. The easier something is to use, the easier it is to go wrong as well. Humans are going to and do promote risks to themselves as both consumers or businesses, no matter how many skills and training courses, human error is still doomed to occur. What Capone does not take into consideration however, is that although prevalent risk, human behavior allows us to discover “ new risks and vulnerabilities” by replacing the lens of purely technology or data based issues, as according to the Cyberbitsec article. One of the most spectacular things about humans is the pure diversity we are able to have even when raised in similar environments. 

Cybersecurity is not a static field nor are people. As people continue to evolve and reach new desires and needs, cybersecurity has to be able to change with it.  Leaving people out of running cybersecurity, if doing as Capone suggests, then we would only be hurting ourselves. The prioritization of training is what will further push success within the industry. On a smaller scale, proper training and education would give higher employee retention rates, create stronger workplace relationships, and build trust between the employer and the employee. It seems careless to focus on technology for people without guidance by the very people using it. There are numerous variables that each individual person takes into consideration when using a website, a phone, or a house safety system. Companies offering goods to charities giving services have to be able to reach the demand of their demographic, from the physically disabled mother who needs to be able to control her security cameras that sit upon the shelf, to the on the go millionaire needing to be able to protect his assets. 

Moving forward, the connections made between consumers and producers will impact who they go back to, who they rely on, who they trust. This all goes the same of those who are aspiring to create, to protect, to indulge themselves in cybersecurity. Additional technologies will almost always in some sense be sought after, but to what use would they be if not both made with care and understanding of both the goals of the creative producer and the needs of the unique consumer?

 

References

Google. (n.d.). Cyberbitsetc – why is cyber security about human behavior? Google Docs. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QplIrfcKlmkSOuKt9i0Kte72kYrukFeCm1wj9DxpnGU/edit. 

Google. (n.d.). Capone – the impact of human behavior on security. Google Docs. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J3v_V167mktbGVynbtHW8yHXW9onjaBzVASo-behDfY/edit.