Let’s discuss Psychology of Security and use humor instead of more cyber headlines to explain some aspects such as spending time and money before an event happens or other cybersecurity preventive actions.
Do we have the Gambler’s mentality with our cybersecurity?
The psychology of security is fascinating since there is a kernel of truth of a human mindset:
**”It won’t happen to me.”
** Oh yeah, we’re all like digital Evel Knievels, jumping over flaming pits of cyber threats with nothing but a password like “1234Password” to protect us.
** It’s like betting on a horse named “Definitely Not Gonna Win” and convincing yourself, *”I like my odds.”
A Hackers Dream come true
Instead of investing in security like reviewing systems for vulnerabilities, we’re out here playing Russian roulette with our bank accounts. Why? Because we do not notice it, since we are too busy and then ask…
“Should I spend $200 or should I just roll the dice and hope some guy in his mom’s basement doesn’t steal my Netflix password?” Spoiler alert: That guy *lives* for your Netflix password. He’s got your account queued up to binge-watch “Love is Blind” right now.
It Won’t Happen to Me” Syndrome
The thing is, humans are bad at imagining bad things happening to us. We see the news: “Massive cyberattack affects 10 million people!” And we’re like, “Wow, sucks to be *those* guys.” Meanwhile, your Facebook password is literally “Password789,” and your email login is written on a sticky note that says, “Hackme, Idareyou.”
It’s the same logic as saying, “I don’t need to lock my car doors because I parked it in a *nice* neighborhood.” Oh, buddy, let me tell you something: Hackers don’t care if your neighborhood has a Whole Foods. They’re like, “Oh, look, a Tesla! Let’s see if this dude’s password is ‘ElonMuskFan.’” (Spoiler: It is.)
The Post-Hack Panic
And THEN, after we get hacked, we go full panic mode. Suddenly, we’re Googling, “What is cybersecurity?” and “Can I sue a hacker?” Like, no, you can’t sue a hacker who lives in a country you can’t even point to on a map.
We start calling IT experts like, “How could this happen to me?!” And the IT guy’s like, “Well, you used the same password for your email, online banking, and your MySpace account from 2007. What did you expect, the Nobel Prize for Security?”
The Irony of Spending
Here’s the kicker: After we get hacked, **we spend WAY more money fixing the problem than it would’ve cost to prevent it.** It’s like refusing to buy a smoke detector because you’re like, “What are the odds of a fire?” Then your kitchen catches on fire, and you’re like, “Quick! Somebody throw money at the flames!”
We’ll spend thousands recovering stolen data, canceling credit cards, and buying identity theft protection. But if you’d told us to spend $50 on a password manager six months ago, we’d be like, “Nah, I’d rather buy gyros.”
So here’s my advice: Stop gambling with your digital life. Treat cybersecurity like you treat sunscreen. You don’t wait until after you’re a lobster to put it on, right? Don’t wait until your identity is sold on the dark web to care about security.
Talk to Tony Zafiropoulos to help you get started with a cybersecurity program.