Human-Centered Security

Where are security tools failing security teams? What are security teams looking for when they visit a security vendor marketing website? Paul Robinson, security expert and founder of Tempus Network, says, “Over-promising and under-delivering is a major factor in these tools. The tool can look great in a demo—proof of concepts are great, but often the security vendor is just pu

When we collaborate with people, we build trust over time. In many ways, this relationship building is similar to how we work with tools that leverage AI. As usable security and privacy researcher Neele Roch found, “on the one hand, when you ask the [security] experts directly, they are very rational and they explain that AI is a tool. AI is based on algorithms and it's mathemati

In this episode, Heidi gets a taste of her own medicine and is interviewed by co-host John Robertson about her newly-released book Human-Centered Security: How to Design Systems That Are Both Safe and Usable. We talk about:Why Heidi’s experience as a UX researcher prompted her to write Human-Centered Security.Places in the user journey where security impacts users the most.Why cr

The cybersecurity industry often fixates on “behavior change,” expecting users to take on unrealistic tasks instead of designing safer, smarter systems. Matt Wallaert (founder of BeSci.io and author of Start at the End: How to Build Products that Create Change) explains behavioral science isn't about forcing behavior change. Instead, it's about understanding people so a thought

“Technical people need to better understand the laws and regulations and lawyers need to better understand the technology and processes in place. When that happens, when those worlds come together, that’s where you can meaningfully make things happen.” -Justine Phillips, Partner at Baker McKenzieIn this episode, we talk about:Essential questions product teams should ask legal

What do CISOs have to say about the security tools their teams use?:“When we introduce a level of complexity in the system, it undermines security. Every moment wasted trying to use a tool effectively benefits the adversary.” - Matt StamperIn this episode, we talk to cybsecurity leaders Bill Bonney, Gary Hayslip, and Matt Stamper about:The ever-evolving role of the CISO and wha

In this episode, we talk about: Security tools don’t get a free pass when it comes to involving end users as part of the design process. People studying and building ML-based security tools make a lot of assumptions. Instead of wasting time on assumptions, why not learn from security practitioners directly?Businesses (and academia) are investing a great deal in building ML-based

In this episode, we talk about:The role misaligned incentives play in security behaviors.How Serge and his team approach security-focused UX research. Looking upstream at the security decisions made by software engineers and, in turn, the situations they are often placed in due to resource constraints and competing priorities at their organizations.Learning from other industries wi

Shante Perrin, a cybersecurity leader, and her team use cybersecurity software to not only to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats but also, as Shante describes, to help paint a picture for their customers:“We like to build a timeline of events to build that picture, create that story so we can deliver it to the customer and explain why we felt it is suspicious. In other w

In this episode, we talk about: The need for human-centered security—in order for security measures to be effective, they must center around people, making usability as crucial as technology. We explore the gap between research and practice, highlighting the need to bring cybersecurity research into real-world application. Human-centered security research can’t possible be effe