The Human Risk Podcast15 Jan 2024

Sarah Armstrong-Smith on The Cyber Attacker Mindset

What’s the most effective way to manage cyber risk? The obvious answer is to have more sophisticated security systems. My guest on this episode thinks the answer is humans.

That’s because behind every cyber attack, there is a human, and the biggest point of vulnerability within an organisation is its humans. If we can better understand humans and how they behave, we can be more effective at managing cyber risk.

That’s the view of my guest on this episode, Sarah Armstrong-Smith. She’s the Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and a leading expert in the cybersecurity space.

She's also the author of a brilliant new book called Understanding the Cyber Attacker Mindset, in which she explores the human dynamics behind cyber attacks. In other words, why do the people who launch cyberattacks do so? If we can understand that, we can start to focus on the root cause of the problem.

In our discussion, we explore:

The crucial role human behaviour plays in cybersecurity;
The emotional and psychological aspects that can affect an organization's digital defences.
Why organisations need a cybersecurity strategy that is people-focused and considers the motivations of cyber attackers.
The importance of recognizing the internal cultural dynamics within an organization that may inadvertently aid cyber attackers;
How cognitive diversity can reinforce cyber defences.
How societal and cultural influences contribute to the ecosystem of cybercrime.
Why victim-blaming when it comes to cyber attacks is counter-productive
How phishing campaigns that punish those who fail tests are a bad idea;
The Seven Sins of Cyber Crime;
The benefits of fostering a supportive workplace culture.

And much much more.

To learn more and to pre-order Sarah’s new book ‘Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset: Build a Strategic Security Programme to Counteract Threats’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understand-Cyber-Attacker-Mindset-Counteract/dp/1398614289#

You can find Sarah:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-armstrong-smith

On Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SarahASmith75

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(368)

Charlie Hurst, Tom Noble and Will Sudlow on Flat White or F*ck Off

What happens when someone runs with a business idea they've heard as a thought experiment on a podcast? Can a business have an expletive in its name? And is it possible to run a business that sells a ...

22 Feb 1h 15min

Amy Watson on Violence Against Women & Girls

What if we stopped telling women how to stay safe, and started asking why violence against them keeps happening in the first place? On this episode, I’m joined for a second time, by Amy Watson, the fo...

15 Feb 1h 39min

Professor Veronica Root Martinez on Purpose-Driven Compliance

Who determines what 'good' Compliance actually looks like? The obvious answer is regulators (and in some jurisdictions) prosecutors. But what if it were the regulated Firms themselves? That's the id...

7 Feb 1h 2min

Professor Tina Weisser on Trusting AI In An Uncertain World

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) gets smarter and tkaes over more tasks, what happens to human dynamics like trust, transparency, leadership and empathy. How can humans and machines wowrk togehter effe...

27 Jan 1h 9min

Becky Holmes on Romance Scams

What lies behind Romance Fraud? Romance fraud is one of the fastest-growing forms of fraud worldwide, and one of the most emotionally devastating. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.On this epis...

21 Jan 1h 8min

Amy Kean on Grief

Why do we struggle to talk about grief? Why that matters and what we can do about it, is the subject of this episode.SummaryGrief is something almost all of us will experience, and yet something we st...

12 Jan 1h 4min

Dr Guy Champniss on Business, BeSci and AI

Are we losing our ability to think critically as we rely more on AI?Episode SummaryMy guest is social psychologist Dr Guy Champniss to explore the role of behavioural science in business and the emerg...

7 Dec 20251h 1min

Professor Yuval Feldman on Can The Public Be Trusted?

Why do governments rely on coercion and punishment when voluntary cooperation often produces better, more sustainable outcomes?Episode SummaryOn this episode, I’m joined once again by Professor Yuval ...

23 Nov 20251h 5min