It can be so frustrating to try to convince people that we “know better” than they do. Especially when it comes to health or safety right? You want them to know so that you can protect them! It’s like parenting, they need to make mistakes to learn, but nothing too catastrophic.
Cybersecurity is not too far away from this, conceptually speaking. Only it transcends kids and applies to our parents, our friends, our colleagues, and if you’re an MSP, your clients.
Do not tell them your banking information!
Why would you give them your password???
You are NOT being arrested by the IRS!
Oh my gosh quit doing those social media quizzes!
Have you ever said any of those? All of those?
We all have.
But what if you flip the script and realize that they don’t know what they don’t know. And sometimes, when you’re being told something, often it can feel like you’re being talked down to instead of conversed with.
We can become so consumed with proving the point to save them, that we alienate them. Phishing emails that “bust them”.
See! I told you that you didn’t know better!
Was a lesson learned in that moment? Probably not. If anything, you may have alienated them into not wanting to learn for fear of failing or reprimand in the future.
How Can We Do Better?
We believe that addressing the human element of security means working together as a team with your IT partner, with your coworkers, and ultimately with society as a whole, and making sure that we are all in this together to learn and to fight cybercrime. Phishing emails are one way to show people how susceptible they can be, but so are other ways of engaging to inform. Snippets or information, whether it be a graphic that appeals to the visual human side, or something that they read and remember one line from it, there are multiple ways that we can inform and educate.
We are only as strong as our weakest link. Say that again and think about what it means. If you continue to beat down that link, it will grow weaker. Let us work together to build up our strength as a whole and make all humans feel engaged and part of the solution.