SAINTCON 2023 - Sean McHenry - Engineering Your Employees Before They Are Socially Engineered

Empower your employees to make good cybersecurity decisions while protecting your organization from social engineering threats with expert insights on trust-building, education, and effective leadership.

Key takeaways
  • Employees are the most important asset when it comes to cybersecurity, but they are often overlooked.
  • Social engineering is a serious threat and can have devastating consequences, such as the unauthorized disclosure of customer records.
  • Trust must be built with employees and they must be empowered to make good decisions.
  • Understand the psychology of humans, including their motivations, biases, and assumptions.
  • Good communication and feedback are essential for building trust and improving engagement.
  • Governance, risk, and compliance are critical for ensuring the security of an organization’s systems and data.
  • Employees must be educated on cybersecurity best practices and encouraged to report suspicious activity.
  • Empathy and understanding are key to resolving conflicts and improving relationships.
  • Good leadership and management are essential for building a successful cybersecurity team.
  • Securing applications and networks is crucial for protecting an organization’s assets.
  • Conductance and resistance are important concepts in electronics and can be applied to cybersecurity.
  • The left tackle in a football team is like the security team, protecting the blind side and providing support.
  • Providing positive feedback and recognizing employee achievements is important for building trust and engagement.
  • The concept of “zing” refers to the energy and excitement that comes from doing something you love.
  • The concept of “op tempera” refers to the tendency to take the easy way out and avoiding challenges.
  • The concept of “creative destruction” refers to the process of innovation and improvement.