What is Adaptive Human Security?

Employees are constantly juggling numerous tasks and responsibilities, and while security is undeniably important, it can't always be at the forefront of their minds. For years, we've heard the mantra "Security is everyone's responsibility." While it aims to create a culture of shared vigilance, it places a substantial and unrealistic burden on employees, expecting them to be constantly alert to threats. 

Adding to the challenge, the widespread adoption of SaaS, GenAI, and cloud collaboration tools, has further broadened and complicated the modern human risk surface area. This means that as employees go about their daily tasks, they face an increasing range and volume of risks. In response to this, security professionals are increasingly recognising the need for systems, processes, and technologies that adapt to human behaviour, not the other way around.

Defining adaptive human security: a new approach to cyber protection

Unlike traditional security systems that rely on predefined rules and protocols, adaptive human security leverages real-time data and insights to tailor security measures to individual employees and their natural workflows. This data-driven, dynamic approach not only enhances security but also reduces friction, allowing employees to focus on their work without constant interruptions.

Built on continuous learning, adaptive security systems adjust based on employee decisions and interactions, aligning responses with human behaviour for a more intuitive and efficient infrastructure. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of employees making security mistakes by:

• Building a security culture

• Reducing unnecessary compliance

• Giving employees the freedom to safely abandon outdated practices

• Protecting employees from cyberthreats, even if they make a mistake 

In essence, adaptive human security seamlessly guides employee actions and adapts technology to prevent security lapses without demanding conscious decisions. It combines intuitive guidance with smart systems to detect risks early, preventing breaches without constant human intervention.

From reactive to adaptive: a security evolution 

Jinan Budge, VP Principal Analyst at Forrester, joined us as an expert guest in our Time to Adapt: The Future of Human Risk Management webinar. Here, she shared how the industry is moving towards ‘adaptive human security’, or ‘adaptive human protection’ as she calls it. 

Moving away from security awareness training

What is the most effective way to manage risks caused by and affecting humans? Until recently, the only option available to security teams was security and awareness training (SA&T). Companies either hoped that training would transform employees into a 'human firewall' or, worse, simply conducted training to meet compliance requirements. However, these methods fail to capture employees' attention, and are often seen as just another item on an already lengthy to-do list. 

“We know that traditional training hasn't worked. Just look at the business email compromise (BEC) figures that have been produced by the FBI in the last five years, they have quadrupled in spite of all the training and awareness we are doing” says Jinan Budge, VP Principal Analyst at Forrester. 

To human risk management 

To overcome the shortcomings of SA&T, forward thinking security leaders are rapidly embracing human risk management (HRM). Critically, Jinan stresses how “Human risk management is a significant technological, strategic, process, and mindset shift. This isn’t just a rebranding of security awareness and training.”

An effective HRM platform should offer a comprehensive 360° view of employee-related risks, pinpointing their locations, and analysing the behaviours that cause them. 

It should empower organisations to prioritise their focus and equip them with the tools to swiftly and effectively mitigate these risks. Furthermore, it should leverage real-time teachable moments for employees to prevent the recurrence of risks. 

Onto adaptive human protection 

Human risk management is a significant step forward, but we see an opportunity for technology to further enhance cyber security. This way, employees can concentrate on their daily tasks and achieve their goals, all while being shielded from cyber threats—even if they make a mistake.

Jinan predicts that, “In the future, people can just finally do their jobs. We won't be talking about the weakest link or human firewalls anymore. People won't have to worry about security being their responsibility. They don't have to worry about security at all.”

The journey of adaptive human security begins by instilling a strong security culture, eliminating unnecessary compliance activities, and introducing capabilities that make it challenging for humans to make wrong decisions. It means that outdated practices such as ‘one-and-done’ security training can be safely abandoned as they become redundant. 

The key principles of adaptive human security

Contextual awareness: Adaptive security systems leverage contextual information to understand the environment and user behaviour. This enables them to dynamically adjust security measures based on the situation, providing a more tailored and effective defence. 

Adaptive technology: As mentioned above, processes and technologies need to adapt to people, not vice versa. As you leverage more data and insights, you will have the tools to review your security processes and technologies and remove any obstacles you’ve inadvertently placed in front of employees. 

Continuous learning: When it comes to incident response and remediation, adaptive human security emphasises the importance of learning from security incidents and implementing improvements based on the lessons learned. This proactive approach ensures that security teams are continually refining their security measures and staying one step ahead of potential threats.

Employee-centric design: Adaptive security systems are built with the end-user in mind. They prioritise usability and minimise disruptions, ensuring that security measures seamlessly integrate into an employee's workflow. This approach supports a positive employee experience.

Automation and intelligence: By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, adaptive systems can proactively identify and mitigate threats. This reduces the reliance on manual interventions and allows security teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Behavioural change: Ultimately, adaptive human security aims to inspire a lasting change in employee behaviour. This approach focuses on empowering individuals to take ownership of their actions, promoting a sense of personal responsibility for the organisation's overall security.

The long-term vision of adaptive security 

First and foremost, it's essential to acknowledge that security threats are dynamic and multifaceted, meaning that a one-size-fits-all approach simply won't cut it. As technology advances and cyber criminals become more sophisticated, new threats will inevitably emerge. By adopting adaptive human security, organisations can ensure that their security strategies remain agile and responsive to the always- evolving landscape of cyber risks.

The future of security lies in adaptation and intelligence. As technology continues to evolve, adaptive security will become increasingly sophisticated, providing organisations with a more proactive and resilient defence against emerging cyber threats. 

One of the key trends in adaptive security is the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies will continue to advance, enabling security systems to become more predictive and autonomous. This will result in faster threat detection and response, reducing the impact of potential breaches.

How to start managing human risk now

While the long-term vision of adaptive human security is ambitious, you can take practical steps towards it by implementing Human Risk Management in your organisation to overcome the current shortcomings of security awareness and training. 

The importance of addressing human risk today cannot be overstated. Humans make mistakes, employees bypass security protocols, and cyber criminals continue to target the human perimeter. Relying on outdated security awareness and training methods to protect against these risks ultimately leaves your organisation vulnerable.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will your organisation's human risk management programme. The journey towards a more secure and resilient workplace requires time, effort, and commitment from all levels of the organisation. However, by taking these initial steps, you'll be well on your way to building a strong foundation for the long-term vision of adaptive human security.

Detect risks with real-time behavioural data 

Traditional risk assessment methods often rely on surveys or training completion rates, which won’t provide a complete picture of an individual's security habits. By incorporating real-time behavioural data, you can more effectively pinpoint potential vulnerabilities and refine your security strategies.

Start by looking at the risk associated with the tech stack that employees are using every day. Continuous monitoring can help identify a wide range of risky behaviours from sharing passwords to oversharing sensitive data. A data-driven human risk management platform will be able to integrate and correlate this data, enabling you to take a more holistic approach to evaluating risk, deepening your understanding of the complex interplay of factors that contribute to human error and security breaches and simplifying the response to these risks.

Utilising real-time data is particularly important because human behaviour is never static and changes over time. As employees' roles and responsibilities evolve, so too can their exposure to different security threats. 

Implement technology to relieve employee pressure

Training every employee on all aspects of security is inefficient. Instead, focus on targeted coaching at specific points of risk. For example, guide employees to change their passwords after a breach or to unshare sensitive data in a public channel. This approach saves countless hours of productivity and spares employees from irrelevant and tedious training sessions.

Human risk detection tools can identify and mitigate threats as they arise, allowing employees to focus on their core responsibilities without the stress of constant vigilance. These technologies automatically respond to potential security incidents, either with a technical fix or by nudging employees to change their behaviour, providing a safety net that reduces the chances of human error leading to breaches. Automating detection and response creates a supportive environment that empowers employees rather than burdening them with additional tasks.

Investing in such technology not only enhances security measures but also fosters a culture of trust and efficiency, where employees can go about their jobs with confidence that the organisation has strong security protocols in place. This approach streamlines the management of human risk and ensures that your security framework adapts to evolving threats.

How CultureAI is working towards adaptive human security 

Adaptive human security is set to become an essential component of every organisation's cyber security strategy, and CultureAI is at the forefront of this transformative movement, leading the way through our expertise in human risk management. By collaborating with us, you'll harness our innovation platform to effectively quantify and manage human risk, paving the way for a future where people, processes, and technologies seamlessly work together. 

This synergy allows for real-time detection and anticipation of human security behaviours, automatically adjusting defences with minimal effort required from your team. This way, they can concentrate on what they do best.