Human firewall in a digitally intelligent enterprise

Since the dawn of the internet nearly half a century ago, cybersecurity programmes have focussed on training technical IT teams who prepare organisations and individuals against phishing emails, stress on basic cyber habits, and frequently notify them about suspicious activities on their digital spaces. While this is a crucial aspect of raising awareness among the masses, it can only go so far. With cybercrimes and Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based scams targeting individuals – making it a very personal experience – the need to train individuals to take care of themselves in the virtual space has almost become very important.

Modern attacks can affect anyone indiscriminately, with deepfakes, social engineering attacks, and cyber frauds that can create damage beyond technology: psychological, societal, and physical impacts on people. Therefore, inculcating cyber sense in citizens is more than just creating awareness; it is about turning every ordinary individual into a professional by helping them develop cyber sense that will enable them to react to cyber signals. This translates into invariable verifying, analysing, and handling of online spaces that don’t feel right and rising to the occasion when trouble arises.

People are the first and the last line of defence in the virtual world, where they need to develop automated defences and cannot wait for cyber police to create guardrails against nefarious activities. To understand the value of cyber-sensible behaviour, there are a few baby steps to learn first. These are –

• Clicking: being aware of emotional cues and phishing or imitation alerts

• Scepticism: authenticating sources before believing information or credentials

• Awareness of privacy: handling personal and organisational information with the same diligence

• Readiness for incidents: understanding when and how to speak up

These basic instincts need to be developed at the frontline and leadership levels in personal as well as office spaces to ensure a cultural shift and a collective responsibility to empower the digital societies going forward.
Cyber sense is beyond mere empowerment; it needs to manifest as a new security edge in today’s AI-driven and data-centric business environment. Developing systems to identify threats through behaviour analytics, anomaly detection, and machine learning algorithms for unusual pattern detection will determine the success of an organisation. A machine that will alert and interpret threats will be a true ally to individuals with cyber sense. This will create an enabling environment of cyber resilience where integrating cyber risk in business decisions, proactive cybersecurity behaviour, and AI governance will drive success.

With AI transforming sectors and changing the landscape of individual behaviours and companies, AI governance will become a crucial part of cyber sense and shared AI ethics that will develop trust and transparency in handling digital content. It is an ongoing process where work has already begun.

Source: Hindustan Times