People Don’t Care About Cybersecurity. Do You Know Why?

You know why people don’t care, because you don’t care about it either.

Neither do I. At least not the way it’s currently presented.

Do this really quick and simple exercise to see what I mean.

Google “cybersecurity” and look at the images tab.

“Cybersecurity” images on Google

Now, Google “home security” and look at the images tab.

“Physical security” images on Google

Do you see the difference? One is clearly about people in their daily lives and another is about machines, dark figures, and locks.

This is only one demonstration of why people don’t care about cybersecurity.

Let’s take a short quiz to help you see what I see.

1. Do you care about your car?
2. Do you care about your home?
3. Do you care about your family?
4. Do you care about your job?

For those questions where you answered, “yes”, how do you know you care?

Because, more than likely…

1. You protect them…even in the smallest ways
2. They protect you…even in the smallest ways
3. They help you a feel safe and secure
4. They are insured in some way (which means you are consciously managing risk because if you lose them, it will negatively impact your life)

And finally, the most important indicator of your interest, investment and care…

Whatever you answered “yes” to, is clearly embedded in your everyday life in ways that you experience and that others recognize.

This means, if I asked someone close to you these same questions, they will likely answer the same way you did.

People do not care about cybersecurity but they DO CARE about the freedom to communicate.

Here’s another quick quiz and another way to think of the work we do…

1. Do you care about communicating with others?
2. Do you care about being able to communicate anytime you find it necessary?
3. Do you care about your communication being accurate/integral/complete?
4. Do you care about having the ability/right to decide what you will communicate and what you will not communicate?
5. Do you care about receiving communication that is timely and complete?

And, again…

Whatever you answered “yes” to, is clearly embedded in your everyday life in ways that you experience and that others recognize.

In my Blacks in Cybersecurity presentation, I talked about our need to Re-imagine Cybersecurity. Our thinking and practice must evolve if we are going to have a positive, sustainable, and global impact of the digital world.

Security is the feeling and state of being free from harm. But it doesn’t stop there. When we feel secure we also feel empowered to act…we feel empowered to communicate.

The bottom line is people do care, but they won’t know it until we, cyber professionals, really understand why we care.