22 October 2017

The Weakest Link In The Cybersecurity Chain Is Sitting At The Keyboard

by Scott Stewart

One of the foundational precepts of Stratfor's security analysis is that as security measures become more effective, people increasingly become the weakest link in a security system. For example, when it comes to the U.S. border with Mexico, as walls have been lengthened and checks at entry points have grown more sophisticated, smugglers have increasingly resorted to bribery to circumvent the tighter security. Likewise, "office creepers" and other criminals who target workplaces have figured out ways to bypass the tighter access controls and other physical measures instituted by companies. Perhaps they will enter through a door blocked open by a worker taking a smoke break or follow a legitimate employee through a secured entry by pretending to have misplaced their credentials. This same principle applies to cybersecurity. As greater technical barriers are enacted to secure computer networks against external hacks, their human users have become the weakest link in cybersecurity.

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