The Six-Week Amnesia Problem
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.” B. F. Skinner
When it comes to cyber awareness, almost every company holds mandatory annual security training sessions, where employees sit through forty-fi…
The Wallpaper Effect
“Man is a creature that can get used to anything, and I think that is the best definition of him.” (Dostoevsky, 1862)
Bad Habits
A habit is a learned behaviour, something we do repeatedly until it runs on autopilot, and we compl…
A baby sees for the first time, a mother cries, and nobody checks if it’s real
“Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust.” Maria Ressa, Filipino-American journalist, and winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on press freedom and disinformation.
Tricked by the Tick&nbs…
Why We Lock Our Front Doors but Trust Strangers Online
“To assume the best about another is the trait that has created modern society.” Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to strangers
The Physical Door and Stranger Danger
Comedian Elaine B…
When We Cheer for the Hackers: The Psychology of Hacktivism and the Morality We Build Around It
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” — Gerald Seymour, British author
The Cheer That Should Have Been a Question
There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that ripples through a crowd when a&…
Are They Breaking In, Or Are You Letting Them In?
How AI and Human Risk Are Reshaping Cybersecurity
“Attackers don’t break in, they log in.” – Jody Westby
The battlefield has moved, is your organisation ready?
For the l…
Some People Don’t Fall For It. Here’s What Their Brains Are Doing Differently
“You cannot consistently perform in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.” — John Maxwell
She almost did it. The message arrived late on a Tuesday evening. It was written professionally and urgently. It…
The Bored, the Brilliant, and the Inevitable Breach
“It’s extremely sad,” he wrote. “I’m just scared.”
Matthew Lane was 20 years old when his parents drove him to prison. He had spent the journey texting a journalist.
A year earlier, a 19-year-old Matthew…
Your Digital Shadow Is Someone Else’s Weapon
Your digital life does not belong solely to you. Every photo, post and public moment offers a glimpse into the lives of your friends and family, too. Rather than fearing this, you should take responsibility and be mindful of the digital world you i…
What’s Your Porn Star Name? A Cybercriminal Wants to Know
How Personally Identifiable Information is Being Harvested, and Why You Are Helping Them Do It.
The information you didn’t know you were giving away
Here is a question: When did you last stop to think about how much…
Why 95% of AI Projects Fail to Deliver Positive ROI
It’s increasingly common that articles about generative AI warn us about its negative impact on businesses, what pitfalls we should look out for, and what not to do, hence my personal focus on AI readiness and what must…
Why Your Brain is the Biggest Cybersecurity Risk
“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” Albert A. Bartlett
We are linear thinkers living in an exponential threat landscape where a new warning emerges every week. “Don’t use AI!”…
How Social Engineering Attacks Trick Even Experienced Employees
We are Seen as the Weakest Link When we Could be the First Line of Defence.
This sentiment is echoed across countless articles, books, and myriads of websites by every Cybersecurity specia…
Speed vs Thought: How Real-Time AI is Short-Circuiting Reflection
The message flashes across your screen, “I need that proposal completed by close of business today.”
Your heart rate spikes. Another request, “We’re presenting to the board tomorrow. Have you analysed the reports and compiled the prese…
How cognitive overload and multitasking undermine our ability to spot cyber deception
“When cognitive load exceeds working memory capacity, learning and performance are impaired.” John Sweller, Cognitive Load Theory.
Cognitive Load Theory was first developed to explain why people find it hard to learn in comp…