{"id":32117,"date":"2025-03-21T13:10:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T20:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?p=32117"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:11:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T23:11:14","slug":"navigating-the-fear-inducing-landscape-of-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/21\/navigating-the-fear-inducing-landscape-of-cybersecurity","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the fear-inducing landscape of cybersecurity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Right this very minute, a hacker could be trying to get into your computer. According to a University of Maryland study, such attacks happen every 39 seconds. 足彩app哪个是正规的y can happen at any time and hit anyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victims of cyberattacks can range from individuals and families to corporations and governments, with impacts including financial loss, job loss, data leaks and even service disruptions that can cost lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, says Dr. Marc Dupuis, there\u2019s a lot to fear when it comes to cybersecurity. Whether fear is useful or ethical as a tool for combatting digital threats is a topic that holds great interest to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s safe to say we all want to improve our cybersecurity from a personal, organizational and national security perspective,\u201d said Dupuis, an associate professor in the University of Washington Bothell\u2019s School of STEM<\/a>. \u201cHowever, is the use of fear and other negative emotions the most effective and ethical way to accomplish this goal?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dupuis will be speaking on the topic: \u201cCybersecurity: Is Fear Counterproductive?\u201d in an upcoming History Pub talk<\/a> at McMenamins Anderson School in Bothell, Washington, on March 25 at 7 p.m. Beyond considering the utility of fear, he\u2019ll also be providing advice on how to stay safe in the digital landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

足彩app哪个是正规的 human element<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While technologies to protect against cyberattacks are constantly evolving alongside those that enable them, human error remains the greatest threat to cybersecurity. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, more than 90% of successful cyberattacks begin with a phishing email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This social and human element of cybersecurity is what first attracted Dupuis to the field, he said. \u201cI was always curious how these perfectly smart, intelligent, reasonable people could have this happen to them. What causes people to fall victim to these social engineering tactics?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now an expert on the topic, he understands the seeming impossibility of navigating the minefield of the internet \u2014 and has even experienced it firsthand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a cybersecurity camp held for seventh to 12th graders over the past several years, Dupuis does an exercise where he asks the students to \u201cspear phish\u201d him, sending phishing emails that directly target him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s coming, and I\u2019m an expert,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd while they are still newly trained, they are still so good that there were some emails I really didn\u2019t know if they were legit or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, when you think about the average, everyday person with all their work and all these distractions and everything else, and they get an email that appears very reasonable, of course they\u2019re going to click on it here and there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many faces of fear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the fear induced by the inherent risk of cyberattacks, fear is also a tool weaponized by hackers to instill a sense of urgency and a need to click on an email, despite uncertainty about its source. To the untrained eye, email subject lines that threaten negative consequences for an unpaid parking ticket or a bank notification alerting you to a possible fraud attempt can be hard to ignore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear and other negative emotions are also often used by organizations to garner compliance from their workers to prevent cyberattacks, threatening possible punishments and even job loss for failure to comply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It remains a topic of debate whether this tactic is worthwhile, Dupuis said. \u201cA lot of times we intuitively think that scaring people is going to be effective, and there\u2019s some research out there to support that. But more recently, and in subsequent studies, we\u2019re actually finding that the opposite may be true.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In analyzing other fear-based programs \u2014 such as Scared Straight, a program aimed at keeping juveniles out of prison, and similar programs targeting teen pregnancy \u2014 he found that early studies indicated some short-term success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the more long-term impacts of these programs were studied, however, researchers found that the participants actually had an increased likelihood of becoming incarcerated or experiencing teen pregnancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear at bay<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest downsides to fear as a prevention measure, Dupuis noted, is that it can stifle a tool that truly can make a difference: open communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFear doesn\u2019t really create an environment where people feel comfortable coming forward if they have made a mistake or if they\u2019re uncertain about something,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, it creates animosity and can create a power dynamic that isn\u2019t really healthy. It doesn\u2019t work long term, and it doesn\u2019t make people want to work to support the organization.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

足彩app哪个是正规的 same is true for families, he added. When parents foster a supportive environment where their children feel comfortable approaching them with problems, they\u2019re able to better prevent and overcome those issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommunicating openly is one of the most powerful things you can do,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a family setting or an organization, the more you create a culture and an environment in which people feel comfortable coming to you with questions, the better off you\u2019ll be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCyberattacks can happen to any of us, no matter how sophisticated our malware protection or our cybersecurity training is,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I think it\u2019s important that we have more grace with people and be reasonable about what the everyday person can do in these scenarios.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“足彩app哪个是正规的 more you create a culture and an environment in which people feel comfortable coming to you with questions, the better off you\u2019ll be.”<\/p>Dr. Marc Dupuis, associate professor, School of STEM<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Armed with knowledge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, knowledge is also paramount to personal and organizational cybersecurity, Dupuis said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If people don\u2019t know what they\u2019re looking for, they won\u2019t know how to prevent it. As opposed to just providing instructions on what not<\/em> to do, he noted that providing actionable steps people can<\/em> do is even more effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOften the biggest predictor of behavior is self-efficacy,\u201d he said. \u201cIf someone believes they can take action, they\u2019re much more likely to do it. It\u2019s about being proactive, not waiting in fear for something bad to happen but also not waiting until<\/em> something bad happens to try and protect yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are Dupuis\u2019 top four tips to incorporate at home: <\/p>\n\n\n\n