Balancing Fear and Confidence: A Strategic Approach to Mitigating Human Risk in Cybersecurity

Dennis F. Galletta; Gregory D. Moody; Paul Benjamin Lowry; Robert Willison; Scott Boss; Yan Chen; Xin Luo; Daniel Pienta; Peter Polak; Sebastian Schuetz; Jason Bennett Thatcher

doi:10.17705/2msqe.00108

Balancing Fear and Confidence: A Strategic Approach to Mitigating Human Risk in Cybersecurity

Dennis F. Galletta^*
, Gregory D. Moody
, Paul Benjamin Lowry
, Robert Willison
, Scott Boss
, Yan Chen
, Xin Luo
, Daniel Pienta
, Peter Polak
, Sebastian Schuetz
, Jason Bennett Thatcher

^*Corresponding author for this work

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

University of Pittsburgh
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Bentley University
Florida International University
University of New Mexico
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Colorado Boulder

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite technological advances aimed at preventing them, cybersecurity breaches have grown more numerous and costly over time. Current training programs and policies, for their part, have been largely ineffective in reducing cyberthreats, as human actions continue to be the weakest link. This article urges organizations to make greater efforts to warn employees about cybersecurity dangers and help employees improve their confidence in their ability to defend against such dangers.

Original language	English
Article number	3
Pages (from-to)	1-15
Number of pages	15
Journal	MIS Quarterly Executive
Volume	24
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.17705/2msqe.00108
Publication status	Published - Mar 2025

Keywords

Cybersecurity, Data Breaches, User Actions, Management Interventions, Breach Costs, Technological Vulnerabilities and Security Awareness

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10.17705/2msqe.00108

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abstract = "Despite technological advances aimed at preventing them, cybersecurity breaches have grown more numerous and costly over time. Current training programs and policies, for their part, have been largely ineffective in reducing cyberthreats, as human actions continue to be the weakest link. This article urges organizations to make greater efforts to warn employees about cybersecurity dangers and help employees improve their confidence in their ability to defend against such dangers.",

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AU - Willison, Robert

AU - Boss, Scott

AU - Chen, Yan

AU - Luo, Xin

AU - Pienta, Daniel

AU - Polak, Peter

AU - Schuetz, Sebastian

AU - Thatcher, Jason Bennett

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AB - Despite technological advances aimed at preventing them, cybersecurity breaches have grown more numerous and costly over time. Current training programs and policies, for their part, have been largely ineffective in reducing cyberthreats, as human actions continue to be the weakest link. This article urges organizations to make greater efforts to warn employees about cybersecurity dangers and help employees improve their confidence in their ability to defend against such dangers.

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Balancing Fear and Confidence: A Strategic Approach to Mitigating Human Risk in Cybersecurity

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Keywords

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