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I took this photo as I walked up to our office—it’s not something I found on Google; this binder belongs to another business in our building. Examples like these led my team and me to replace the term ‘cybersecurity’ with simply ‘security,’ recognizing that true security extends beyond computers and isn’t something you can fully delegate. When passwords are saved in an Excel document or bank account information is left in a branded binder on a windowsill, it’s accessible to coworkers and visible to anyone passing by—there is a major culture problem that needs to be addressed. This photo serves as a reminder that businesses, particularly people in leadership, need to rethink their approach to security. You must set a strong example through good practices and implement security awareness training for your team. But understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ truly matters, and this week I’m going to highlight the ‘why’. If you find this helpful, let me know and next week I can help you with the ‘how’. Let’s begin:
The Why?
Nope! I’m not here to give you the usual spiel about all the scenarios where a security incident could deal a major blow you may not recover from. You hear it all the time, read about it online, and see it on the news. Many of you have become desensitized, thinking, “If it’s meant to happen, it will.” I’m plenty guilty of it too. I used to live in a quiet townhouse with a front yard, where walking my dogs at night without locking my door felt safe enough. I thought, ‘Who’s going to go through the yard and try to get in?’ That mindset changed the night I found a random man going through my stuff in my living room, claiming he thought it was his house. He asked me not to call the cops and ran out the door. From that day forward, I locked my doors and carried pepper spray. So, why do we wait to practice security until something bad happens?
Here is one more why and it’s the danger of leading by being a bad example. Shortly after hiring my first employee, I realized I set the standards for acceptable behavior, that my actions mattered more than any policy on paper. I’d bet the owner of that business has no idea their bank information is on a windowsill. However, he likely have his own passwords pinned to a cork board behind his desk. People aren’t naturally precise. If you set a standard of a certain level of bad practices is acceptable, people push those limits further. If you’re not attentive to security, your team may be even less so without your knowledge. One day, you might find your own bank information sitting on a desk somewhere, realizing you unintentionally encouraged that oversight.
So why not take just half a day to evaluate your approach, mindset, and practices toward security—setting a goal to make meaningful changes before you’re left with the crushing helplessness of knowing a preventable mistake turned your world upside down?
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
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