An exploratory study on the human component using a cultural model to define open research topics for secure socio-technical systems

Abstract

Social engineering attacks like phishing emails target the human component of the whole socio-technical system (STS) of an organisation. These human components are exploited by actors to gain access and breach the whole system with examples like ransomware, pretexting, and even physical presences such as tailgating. Exploratory interviews investigate human components in organisations from six professionals with cybersecurity, psychology, and/or cyberpsychology backgrounds. Each interview lasted 30–45 min and were conducted remotely. Due to the sensitive nature of the cybersecurity field, participants were given full anonymity, meaning that interviews are not quoted directly. Results of the thematic analysis (TA) created six themes from the dataset: the weakest link narrative; influences (external and internal); the knowing-doing gap (a disconnect between knowledge and action); technology is always changing/security is always changing (security can always be better); the professional-client relationship in security and; the integration of technology and human behaviour in security. Additionally, results suggested that a thematic analysis is a useful multidisciplinary approach to help understand directions of future research. This is because of its explanatory power in describing how human components can be better integrated into systems to create more robust security cultures in organisations.