According to the WEF Global Risk Report, the main cause of 95% of cyber security breaches is human error. Employees and workers are the weakest link of any organisation’s cyber security.
People are the weakest link
The Role of Human Error
In Cyber Security Breaches
Below is a video talking about how people make cyber systems vulnerable.
Examples of Human Error
In Business
1. Password Problems
Humans tend to have terrible passwords. The National Centre for Cyber Security’s 2019 report shows that 123456 is the most popular password in the world.
Also, some people write down their passwords on post-it notes on their work computers or share passwords with colleagues.
2. Software Updates
Cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to exploit software. When these exploits are discovered software developers race to come up with a way to fix these vulnerabilities. Then they will release the patch or update to users.
More often than not customers tend not to install software updates quickly. Therefore, exposing their software to cyber attacks.
3. Physical Security Errors
Cyber criminals can also gain access to valuable information through physical means. Employees might leave sensitive documents which criminals could get access to.
For example, criminals getting access to flash drives or external hard drives that contain sensitive information of the organisation.
So what?
In every aspect of cyber security, you need to consider the human element.
In the coming lessons, we will look at the human element in the regards to the security of the asset.
