Technique and Human Beings

This chapter focuses on how human weaknesses can be exploited to get people to perform actions which will lead to failures of cybersecurity. The most important mechanisms exploited for such psychological attacks are presented: human curiosity, helpfulness, sympathy and hate, belief in authority, rapid decision making, and making decisions where the best choice is not obvious. The way in which these mechanisms are exploited in forms of attack such as phishing is analysed. The chapter ends with a discussion of whether psychological attacks can be prevented by improving computer users’ motivation for behaving safely or by better training in safe and secure behaviour.