The Crucial Influence of Human Factors in Security Breaches

Set the scene: It’s that time of the month for your organization’s town hall, and you’ve decided to attend this one in the office to catch up with some co-workers. You arrive early and join a group at the water cooler. After catching up about the weather, traffic and last vacations, the conversation turns to where everyone likes to work when they are not in the office. The group favorite? Local coffee shops. The coffee may be slightly overpriced, but the Wi-Fi is strong enough to hold a day’s worth of calls. Nearly half of the group mentions they work on café Wi-Fi weekly.

This casual conversation reveals a key challenge many organizations face: Human error in cybersecurity. In fact, 95% of all cybersecurity incidents are caused by human mistakes, and according to a Parallels report 41% of organizations experienced this firsthand last year.  While the group is getting comfortable at the cafe, they may unknowingly be exposing the company to serious cybersecurity risks.

The hard truth is that security breaches often happen because of human mistakes from simple, everyday actions. It’s not just employees unknowingly using unsecured Wi-Fi – it’s phishing, weak passwords and a lack of awareness that open the door to attackers.

Take phishing attacks, for example. Imagine an employee receiving an email that appears to be from the IT department, asking them to update the password. The email looks legitimate, featuring the company logo and an urgent subject line: “Immediate Action Required: Password Update Needed.” Distracted and trusting the familiar branding, they click the link and enter their credentials, unknowingly handing them over to a cybercriminal. Now, the attacker has access to your company’s internal systems — all from a single, seemingly harmless action.

All of these scenarios are examples of how human error can create significant vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity threats often exploit these simple mistakes, which is why organizations must focus on mitigating risks through better awareness, training, and strong security practices.

A Fortress of Security: From Public Wi-Fi to Corporate Networks

Let’s return to that water cooler conversation about working from public Wi-Fi. While the discussion about working from a café could seem innocent, without the right security measures, it can quickly lead to serious vulnerabilities. The reality is that no matter how much training companies offer, human error remains a constant, and cybercriminals continue to evolve.

So, how can organizations defend against these threats?

In my work at Parallels, I always advise organizations to adopt a layered, proactive security approach. The first step in building a strong defense is embracing a zero-trust framework. Zero-trust operates on a simple principle: Never trust, always verify. This means that every access request, no matter where it comes from, is thoroughly scrutinized before granting access to the company’s systems. Think of zero-trust as a vigilant knight standing guard, inspecting every individual before letting them through the castle gates.

Within the zero-trust model, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password management become vital components. MFA adds an extra layer of verification, ensuring that even if an employee’s credentials are compromised — perhaps from clicking a phishing link — an attacker cannot easily exploit them. Password managers also come into play here, simplifying the creation of strong, unique passwords for each account, and eliminating the risks associated with weak or reused credentials.

Beyond password security, patch management acts as the knight’s sharpened sword, regularly fixing known vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Just like a knight maintaining his armor and weapons, IT teams must regularly update software to close security gaps, ensuring their defenses are always up-to-date.

As remote work and BYOD (bring your own device) policies grow, the battle extends beyond corporate walls. This is where remote browser isolation (RBI) plays a crucial role. RBI functions like an invisible shield, isolating web traffic in a virtual environment to ensure that any malicious content an employee may encounter online is kept far from the company’s systems. With RBI, even if an employee inadvertently clicks on a harmful link, the threat is neutralized before it can cause any damage.

By implementing these solutions — zero-trust, MFA, password managers, patch management and RBI — organizations create a robust, multi-layered security posture that proactively reduces risks rather than simply reacting to threats. These proactive steps help minimize the impact of human error, transforming potential vulnerabilities into manageable risks.

And the next time the team gathers around the water cooler, the conversation about working from cafes can be one of confidence in their secure practices, rather than concern about potential breaches.