What Is Cybersecurity Fatigue and How Can You Overcome It?
A strict cybersecurity policy can help you protect your IT infrastructure from data breaches. But an endless barrage of security warnings, too many security procedures, and excessive exposure to news about hacks and vulnerabilities can cause cybersecurity fatigue, making your systems and IT resources open to cyberattacks.
But what is cybersecurity fatigue? How can you spot it? And what can you do to overcome it?
What Is Cybersecurity Fatigue?
Cybersecurity fatigue refers to employees' weariness, disinterest, or reluctance to handle computer security. It correlates to increased risky behavior that jeopardizes the company’s security—or indeed personal security.
When employees are constantly bombarded with security notifications or have to deal with a good deal of information and security processes, they may get weary and stop paying attention.
Sometimes, false notions about risks can also feed into security fatigue. Some employees, for example, may think that hackers won’t target them as they are not handling critical data.
If not checked, cybersecurity fatigue can make employees overlook evencommon behavior-based safety practices to stay safe online.
For example,in a multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue attack, an employee who is constantly receiving MFA push notifications may give in after some time.
Symptoms: What Are the Signs of Cybersecurity Fatigue?
Cybersecurity fatigue is a serious risk because it can result in data breaches, malware infections, and social engineering attacks. So you need to proactively look for the symptoms of cybersecurity fatigue to protect your IT infrastructure effectively.
Here are some security fatigue signs you should watch out for.
1. Following Poor Password Management
Creating poor passwords and using them for multiple accounts can be a sign of cybersecurity fatigue. How can you recognize this, though? They’re supposed to keep such details to themselves. But that’s the point. Employees suffering from security fatigue may send passwords to their team members via emails, texts, chat messengers, or other unsecured means.
2. Accessing IT Resources Insecurely
If some of your employees frequently access the company’s IT resources or servers insecurely, that’s a sign of cybersecurity fatigue. For example, if they connect to your server without turning on their VPN or firewall, or connect to a public Wi-Fi network without having adequate protection.
3. Ignoring Updates and Software Patches
Timely updates and software patches prevent hackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities. So your security policies should enforce timely updating of operating systems and software programs being used.
If a few employees are reluctant to update their systems and programs, they may be suffering from cybersecurity fatigue.
4. Demonstrating Risky Online Behavior
Opening phishing emails, clicking links mentioned in spam emails, and downloading pirated software programs are signs of security fatigue.
You don’t have to be at work to fall victim to cybersecurity fatigue either. If you connect to a public Wi-Fi network without adequate protection, use your primary email address for all your online accounts, and open phishing emails without a second’s thought, you may be suffering from cybersecurity fatigue.
What Are the Dangers of Cybersecurity Fatigue?
Humans are the weakest link in cybersecurity. Employees suffering from security fatigue can cause irreparable damage to your company.
If some of your employees habitually use a public Wi-Fi network without adequate protection, they are susceptible to evil twin attacks, malware infection,Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, Wi-Fi sniffing, and more.
Poor password management is a severe threat, and can cause account takeovers, data breaches, and other security incidents. What’s more, reckless online behavior of your employees can install malware on your systems, infect devices with remote access Trojans, cause data breaches, and many other types of cyberattacks.
How Can You Protect Against Cybersecurity Fatigue?
Cybersecurity fatigue weakens thecybersecurity posture of your company. Take the necessary steps to nip it in the bud.
The following are a few effective ways you can implement to fight security fatigue in your company.
Limit the Number of Security Decisions Users Have to Make
Making multiple security decisions every day can make your employees overwhelmed. As a result, they feel burned out. You should minimize the decisions your employees need to make daily. And using the right tech can help you achieve that.
Automate patching of software and operating systems, manage the laptops and devices of your employees remotely, and implement security solutions that can automate responses to threats.
Also, use a good password manager to remove password fatigue. And make sure your employees don’t have to deal with hundreds of security messagesto prevent alert fatigue.
Make It Simple for Users to Make the Right Security Decisions
Complexity is the enemy of implementing good security. If your employees find it hard to make the right security decisions, they are likely to feel fatigued.
Having a clear cybersecurity policy goes a long way in helping employees make the right choices.
Ensure your cybersecurity policy has clear instructions on what employees should do while performing their day-to-day jobs and when there is a security incident.
Run Security Drills
Running security drills is one of the best ways to assess how prepared your employees are to fight cyberattacks. So you should regularly conduct things like phishing tests or incident response drills. Doing so can help employees focus on protecting their systems and servers.
Make Security a Part of Your Company Culture
When it comes to cybersecurity, it is better to be proactive than reactive. Building security into your company culture can help you create an atmosphere of trust, awareness, and knowledge, minimizing incidents of cybersecurity fatigue.
Promoting security hygiene from the top down, communicating the importance of security consistently, highlighting what is at stake, and adopting a zero-trust policy can help you encourage a strong cybersecurity culture.
Make Security Training Interactive
If you make your cybersecurity training sessions more interactive, it will increase employee engagement. Consequently, your employees will feel more motivated to protect IT resources in your company.
Use real-world simulations and gamification in your training sessions to keep employees hooked. And keep security awareness training sessions around 20 to 25 minutes each, so you don’t overload anyone.
Your security training should empower employees to express their feelings about various security controls. This will help you figure out if there is anything specific to cybersecurity that is stressing out your employees.
Combat Cybersecurity Fatigue to Stay Safe
Security fatigue is a real thing. If you don’t fight it, you could easily fall victim to hackers. That’s why you need to prevent cybersecurity fatigue in your company.
As passwords play a crucial role in protecting accounts and data, you must watch for any signs of password fatigue in your organization too.
Password management can cause fatigue, especially if you have too many online accounts.
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