Employees are a critical component when addressing cybersecurity problems within an organization. Creating software, a plugin, or an awareness course is not enough. You need to understand how people interact with the system and where they fall short of following best practices. This allows the creation of user-friendly policies that make people feel supported and not attacked. It makes more people open to asking for help when they receive suspicious emails because they don’t feel judged.

It is very hard to make people who have never experienced a cyber attack threat the need for best practices, such as two-factor authentication, with urgency. Most users will see best practices as an unnecessary burden they do not need. That is why those in the cybersecurity space need to empathize with the user while advising them.

Cybersecurity is a continuous process that touches on many critical organizational functions. It is, therefore, a bad idea to run it in a silo that is unapproachable by teams from other departments. When the cybersecurity personnel is approachable, people feel more comfortable consulting them and following their instructions. This helps in creating a safety-first culture that can improve the overall security posture of the organization’s IT systems.

The biggest communication problem we have is that we listen with the intention of replying instead of understanding. This takes away the safety net that a speaker is expecting to have and closes the door on empathy. That is why it is important to practice the critical art of listening if you wish to grow in how you practice empathy. Mastering it will help you connect with others in a generous and meaningful way.

When you take time to replenish, you can serve from the overflow and avoid burnout. Cybersecurity is a stressful industry that demands a lot of commitment from professionals in it. Sometimes, people in this industry focus so much on the task at hand that they forget to replenish themselves.

In the world of cybersecurity, not all information is power. In fact, “only the right amount of the right information is power.” Too much information can easily lead to sensationalization of the threat and this can overwhelm even the most concerned audience. Bewildered people rarely consider actionable steps that can improve their security posture, because they have to use their resources to make sense of all the details coming towards them.

In today’s social media-dominated world, the word stalking has been flipped to mean being harmlessly followed online, getting a ‘like’, getting a retweet, having your profile viewed constantly, among others. In fact, some even see it as a good thing because it shows how interesting one’s life is. But, that’s just one side of the coin.

In the high stake world of software development, it is easy to put aside empathy and prioritize meeting deadlines. After all, developers are key players when you want to reduce time-to-market or deliver regular updates. This can easily lead to the important aspect of application security not getting as much attention as it deserves. In some cases, it might even be relegated to the “extra-not-a-must” features category.

Reality check: most cyberattacks and privacy infringements are not a result of sophisticated hacking done by malicious adversaries who want to hold your system hostage or steal all your data. They result from the victim falling into a criminal's trap by clicking on “interesting” malicious links or (re)using weak credentials all over their online accounts. Most people who aren’t in tech won’t even know their device was attacked or their credentials stolen.

“Digital vulnerabilities that affect one, affect us all.” These are some of the books that helped us understand the complex connections between technology development, cybersecurity, privacy, geo-politics, and human nature. Here's how they inspired our explorations and what we learned from them to improve our mindset and skillset.

It’s not just lack of awareness that has allowed many tech companies to viciously push the boundaries on the data they collect and how they use it. It’s the lack of emotional connection to this issue and an inability to internalize the consequences of this assault on our privacy.

It’s almost impossible to build a culture where security is central to big decisions without someone leading the way – someone who cares so deeply that they’re able to gain the board’s trust and support. How? Building a shared vocabulary, a shared understanding of complex challenges, and by creating a safe space to discuss them. These are all fundamental factors to making cybersecurity a priority for C-level executives.

Creating real change in people’s behavior is one of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity. That’s why I often tell people with no connection to this space that technology is secondary to human psychology when it comes to protecting the tech ecosystem our lives depend on (which is not an exaggeration).

In the cybersecurity field, communication strategies will only take you as far as your understanding of human nature extends.

Technology has permeated almost all aspects of our lives and, with the current advancements, it’ll seep into even more layers of society. Sometimes, tech holds a mirror to us, as humans. Just like us, it can’t thrive in isolation. Similar to us, tech expands and evolves through the sustained work of communities of users and developers. The only way to truly understand how this interdependence is impacting our society is to talk to people about their personal experiences with technology. Few...

How do you develop and sell a cybersecurity solution without sensationalizing it to create fear and panic buying? Well, you need to build trust with potential customers by being empathetic of their position and the threats they are facing in their context. When you approach it from a kind and ethical place, cybersecurity is a positivity-filled and community-centered industry that functions best when people look out for each other.

Digital assets such as cryptocurrencies are revolutionizing how we transact and store wealth. However, they have introduced new cyber threats that go beyond just protecting your password. Every month millions of dollars worth of digital assets are lost to are being lost to hackers. Apart from the advancement of hacking tools and skills, the other big contributor to these losses is bad cybersecurity practices. Many digital wallets companies do not take time to explain to the users the risks...

How do you remain empathetic when your job is to act like an attacker and point out issues with security systems? With all its military language, cybersecurity can feel very aggressive but this offensive security specialist shows us that it doesn’t have to be. Today I’m joined by Alexei Doudkine, penetration tester and co-founder of Volkis. I deeply resonate with how he puts his 10+ years of experience on the offensive side of cybersecurity to good use and challenges the status quo. He...

Cyber security goes beyond protecting your digital assets! The unique part of cybersecurity is that the more you know about it, the less secure you feel. This can limit your digital experience and even cause anxiety because you constantly feel exposed to invisible threats.

Many companies have been profiting from exploiting your data, whether you choose to share it or unknowingly do so while using online services. One of the most commonly used methods of exploitation is tracking. The good thing is that there are many empathetic people and companies that are also working to protect us from it.

In a world where technology is advancing at lightning speed, security can sometimes seem to be lagging behind. This is especially so if you are not an IT guru who understands cybersecurity concepts very well. This is a gap that can be filled by caring people sharing trustworthy information and experiences to help others.

Cybersecurity is not just about big companies being hacked and data stolen. No. It’s also about you and the safety of your data. There are many people who are committed to ensuring that your rights are protected as you interact with technology. Yet you rarely get to meet these people because you hardly ever see them talking about other topics than security upgrades for your new smartphone or laptop. But they are there - committed warriors who have dedicated their lives to your safety on and...