Security: The Human Factor

CHAPTER 1: CARELESSNESS

‘Human error is overwhelmingly stated as the greatest {security} weakness this year (86%), followed by technology (a distant 63%) ... Unless robots replace the human workforce (unlikely in the lifetime of anyone reading this report), human error is an issue that companies will continue to deal with.’Deloitte, 2009²

Let’s look at some of the ways that human nature can contribute to security breaches, beginning with carelessness.

Barely a week goes by without a report of a laptop, or a USB stick containing sensitive information, being left on a train, or being stolen when left in plain view on the back seat of a car. Modern electronic equipment is highly portable, and can hold staggering amounts of data. Employees are actively ...