In the early years of cybersecurity, it was often said that people are the weakest link. This did nothing to encourage support, as it was insulting and demeaning. The new and better way to inspire people towards a cybersecurity mindset is to engage with and treat them as a valuable part of an organization’s overall cybersecurity initiative.

As a life-long social engineer, Jenny Radcliffe has observed the ways that criminals exploit our humanity, and she has worked to teach us how to be more cautious, both personally and professionally, to reduce cybercriminals’ opportunities. Jenny is the founder of Human Factor Security, a company which offers security awareness training, investigation services, security assessment, penetration testing, and consultancy. She is also the host of the Human Factor Security Podcast, which is the winner of the best podcast by the European Cybersecurity Blogger Awards.

I had the opportunity to speak with Jenny about the path that ultimately led her to become “The Human Hacker” as well as her thoughts about the current and future state of cybersecurity.

Joe Pettit: It would be great to hear about your journey into cybersecurity.

Jenny Radcliffe: I specialize in physical infiltrations, which I learnt when I was younger. My family thought that it would be best for me to learn how to protect myself, so they introduced me to some other family members who were loosely connected to the security business in various disguises. This is where I honed the skills that eventually led to my interest in security.

When the cybersecurity industry grew, it became clear that human error was at the heart of many incidents and breaches as well as that the psychology behind a successful scam or hack was key. I also have expertise, and years of experience, in constructing ethical scams and (Read more...)