The password rules we were taught are wrong
The ninety-day password change, the mandatory special character, the capital letter forced in for its own sake: these are the rules a generation learn…
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Topic · People
Cyber culture
Technology alone isn't enough: security is also about people and habits.
Dossiers in this section
4 dossiers
Your boss's voice can be fake: social engineering in the age of AI
Social engineering remains the most-used way in, and AI has made it cheaper and more convincing: voice cloning can mimic an executive's voice fro…
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The human factor is not the weak link: why blame doesn't stop phishing
Social engineering is among the prime threats in the Union according to ENISA, yet the most common reaction stays the worst: blame whoever clicked. Th…
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The QR code that steals your session, not your password
Kimsuky stopped fighting corporate email filters. It simply changed channel: a QR code forces the victim onto a personal phone, outside the IT perimet…
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The topic in brief
The human link isn't the weakest by accident
Social engineering remains among the prime threats because it bypasses technical controls by targeting people. But “the user is the problem” is a wrong shortcut: people fail when processes set them up to fail. Cyber culture isn't about blame, it's about giving the tools and habits that make the safe choice also the easy one.
Cyber hygiene, concretely
A few practices, repeated: long unique passwords managed by a password manager, multi-factor authentication, wariness of unexpected links and attachments, updates installed. ENISA and CISA's Secure Our World campaign promote exactly these basics, and every October European Cybersecurity Month renews them.
Training that changes behaviour
Useful awareness isn't an annual course forgotten the next day: it's recurring practice, phishing simulations built to teach (not to punish), clear and short messages. An organisation that talks about security in an understandable way gets more protection than one that buys yet another tool.
FAQ
- What is cyber hygiene?
- The set of basic habits — strong passwords, MFA, updates, caution with links — that drastically reduce everyday risk.
- Does training really help?
- Yes, if it's recurring and practical. Phishing simulations designed to teach, not punish, change behaviour over time.