Guardians of the Data | Cybersecurity’s Weakest Link: Human Risk - Lisa Gunning - Guardians of the Data

Cybersecurity’s Weakest Link: Human Risk - Lisa Gunning - Guardians of the Data - Episode #6

September 4, 2025 / 55:28/E6

Human risk is the most unpredictable factor in cybersecurity and insider risk.

Lisa Gunning, a counterintelligence and insider risk expert with over 18 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, joins Ward today to dive into human risk. Lisa shares her unique perspective on the human element in cybersecurity, the evolving landscape of insider threats, and the critical importance of building a strong security culture within organizations. The conversation covers the intersection of AI, human behavior, and data protection, offering practical advice for organizations of all sizes. She provides actionable recommendations and stories around her experiences that any listener can benefit from.

Takeaways:

Recognize the Human Element: Understand that human behavior is often the biggest risk in data security. Both intentional and accidental actions by insiders can create vulnerabilities.
Foster Security Culture: Build a culture where security is everyone’s responsibility. Encourage open conversations about risks and make security policies clear and rational.
Partner Across Departments: Collaborate with stakeholders like HR, compliance, IT, and business leaders to address insider risk from multiple angles.
Iterate Policies: Keep security and data policies up to date. Make them flexible enough to adapt to new technologies and edge cases, rather than relying on rigid, outdated rules.
Monitor for Insider Threats: Identify high-risk individuals and roles, not just executives or IT admins, but anyone with access to sensitive data or mission-critical processes.
Leverage Counterintelligence Tactics: Use counterintelligence strategies to understand what assets are valuable to adversaries and how your organization might be targeted.
Be Transparent About AI Tools: Set clear guidelines for the use of AI note-takers and other digital assistants, especially in confidential meetings.

Quote of the Show:

“Human behavior is the biggest risk. We are an unpredictable, ever-evolving group, and as a very wise colleague of mine once said, humans are gonna human.” - Lisa Gunning

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