CyberSecPsych

You’ve heard the rage, seen it on the TV, have had your every app ask you to update your privacy settings, but at the end of the day, do you really care much about cyber security?

The answer, I am going to guess, is probably NO.

We are a society of simplicity.  Not complication.  Two-factor authentication, privacy settings, password managers, and all the other tools put in place to increase out online privacy, while honorable in the purposes they serve, are hindrances in our day-to-day operations.  

First, I am told I need to create an uber strong password, use numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, with no dictionary words, and a different one for every account I have.  I have trouble creating one password with all of the above specifications, let alone a different one for my email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, websites, banking, and everything else online that requires me to create a username/password combo.     

So I get a password manager, allowing me to input my accounts and it will generate random, strong passwords for me.  I create the account for the password manager, conceive a mega strong password for it, input all of my accounts into the app, where I have the random password generator create passwords for my accounts, and bam, I should be protected on all ends.  

But wait, then I forget the stupid password manager password, in all of its mega complicated glory, and have to go through all of my accounts to do a password reset.  

And of course, on all of these accounts, I have two-factor authentication enabled.  So even if I do by some random chance remember the password, I need to grab my phone to input the 6 digit code that they sent me.  But wait, my phone is upstairs, or is dead, or the account that I am attempting to login to tells me it is sending my phone a text, so I wait, and wait, and wait, and no text ever comes. Then I try a multitude of times, only to finally be locked out of my account, send multiple tickets to the support team that has no direct way to contact them, and hopefully they get around to my issue in 3-5 business days.  

All this is enough to make a person say “Screw it, I’ve got nothing to hide, hackers have at me!”  

And what if they do.  What do we have to hide, as consumers?  Sure, it’s a big financial hit for Sony to get hacked, but personally, what is going to happen to me?

Well, a number of things can result, namely:

• Identity theft
• Financial theft
• Corruption of device memory

But in reality, how much do we care about these things.  Until it really hits home, it will not be a priority for people.  

There can be a shift this mentality, however.  By better understanding how the Cyber Security community comes into play, separate of the Cyber Security industry, the engagement can be created.  By explaining how different industries, governments, and organizations are affected by the topic of information security, there becomes a better way to solve industry challenges.            

By taking an open-source approach to what underlies the code, we can start to create an industry shift.

One step.     

At a time.