Watch Your Language! A PSA
Heather Noggle
I integrate people, process, and technology. Cybersecurity Workforce | SMB Cybersecurity | Software Requirements | Data Integration | Business Analysis | Speaker | Writer | Systems Thinker
My friends, cybersecurity practitioners. Do be careful.
It's so catchy. But you lose some trust and credibility with the people you serve when you say it. (When they hear it, read it)
So practice another phrase. And, if you feel the need to utter these words that "People are the W_ _ _ _ _ _ _ L_ _ _" in cybersecurity - I urge you to find another way.
It's true that we're heavily attacked, we people. We're multitasking and distracted. Some of us haven't embraced changes rolling out in our organizations. Many of us. (Us included)
So there's work to be done. But please don't make us "other" with that awful phrase.
We can train our people. And we can work to unify our practices.
5 things for your thinking today. I spoke about this last week at my talk in Arkansas - how human centric the early phases of cybersecurity for small business is.
Early cyber hygiene and a focus on action and culture get us going. If we don't get going, we can't discuss (effectively discuss) implementing zero trust and build it in. A small business might never approve the budget and overcome the hassle of cost and change management to more technical aims without a concerted, coordinated effort.
We technologists can't be the judges, juries, finger-pointers, and scarlet letter sew-ers. (Or sewers). The aggregated misbehaving people seem like an easy target. Instead, we can be helpful, knowledgeable, and knowledge sharers. We can explain the context of proposed changes in terms of current events and the effects of certain actions that may - in their protections - seem cumbersome.
Don't shame your humans. You need their buy-in, efforts, reporting, cooperation, skills, humor, money-making capabilities, talents, continued employment, throughput, input, output, and other puts.
So watch your language.
First, do no harm.
Blank Whiteboard, What to Write (About Writing)?
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
But that is but the half of it
To resonate, I bid you more
Not less, for those caught keeping score
Cry "entertain!" "Don't be a bore"
I think, I think, step back a bit
Shout clear strong message - benefit.
(It's the rhythm, it's the rhythm;
It's the rhyme.
And that's why I taunt you...a second time
--This is how I get out of a grammar section today.
??
The Poll
Just in (a couple of days ago). Here are the results of the poll about ageism of the upper kind. I believe "overqualified" as single point of "disqualified" merits a discussion about intent and fit instead of a dismissal.
Eventful
I've been crossing state lines a couple o' times....Arkansas!
领英推荐
??Last Thursday I spoke at the Women+ in Technology of Northwest Arkansas conference. Despite my clunky clicker interactions, I think the message resonated. (You read most of it above).
??Then it was back to the home of the book backdrop (my home office) for the EC-Council University webinar I did on Friday about Cyber Resilience. Link to the recording:
??Then I attended Sp4rkCon on Saturday at Walmart Global Tech in lovely Bentonville...yep, Arkansas again.
Today, back on the ??. If you're a small business owner, you'll want to catch this one. Hopping over the to Alignable platform to talk about the Corporate Transparency Act.
Still time to atted if you're reading this early. Some snark will likely ensue in conversation (either me snarking with myself or in Q&A with everyone).
And, finally, rumor has it that I might crash an event Thursday evening...
You've Gotta See This
It's practical, so repeating in case you missed it.
Qubiticus Says
"Everybody's workin' for the weekend" - channeling his inner 80's Loverboy song lyrics. Sorry, Qubiticus; it's only Tuesday.
#pawsome
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Do something additional to secure your everyday online behavior! Need a hand? Ask me.
And pet all the cats. Even Qubiticus.
Information Security Manager | Human Factors Risk Management | Security Culture, Awareness and Policy | TPRM | AI | GRC | Positive Force for Change
7 个月Is it “people are the wildest lions?”?????????? I wish we could reduce more of these limiting beliefs to sets of initials
Global Chief Information Security Officer | Advisory Board Director | Public Speaker | Digital Transformation | Business Partner | M&A | SaaS & Cloud | Risk Management | Global Compliance | Artificial Intelligence
7 个月I've always considered people to be the first line of defense in cybersecurity, especially when the attacks are out of band.
Cybersecurity & IT Consulting - gigabunny.com
7 个月Usually I do not Swear - The only Occasion I remember was (rightfully so!) when a Gentleman at Starbucks spilled my fresh Cup of Coffee onto my Cellphone. Don't recall what set me off - the loss of the Coffee or the Phone ...
M.S. in Cybersecurity Operations | Regulatory Compliance | Cybersecurity Content Creator | First Responder | System Administrator | Airfield Operations Specialist | Air Force Veteran
7 个月I have heard the statement that people are the weakest link in terms of cybersecurity and should not even be factored in and to let technology do everything. This is absolutely the wrong argument to make. I say that because technology itself is limited in its capabilities. There are ways around filters and other technology. It is the educated end user that is actually the last line of defense. The key is finding a balance in that training so that it captures and keeps their attention so they remember the information. Something else to keep in mind is the frequency of that training. It needs to be frequent enough so that the information stays top of mind for them, but not so frequent that they mindlessly go through it and do not remember anything.