WITH ALL THE SECURITY THREATS IN THE MEDIA, it may seem as if the goal of maintaining cybersecurity is hopelessly unattainable. The whole world may appear to be stacked against the defenders. This isn’t the case, and the defensive measures that security professionals can take are powerful. But security really boils down to a few key points. In this chapter, you will explore the human element in cybersecurity, the biggest gray area in security an organization must face.

Security always starts with the human being. No element in security can have a bigger effect on an organization, for good or ill, than the human user. The human user represents the front line of defense and can prevent many major and minor security incidents simply by being proactive and doing the right things.