Why 60% of Security Breaches Are Still Caused by People—And What You're Not Fixing
By CyberDudeBivash • September 29, 2025, 12:28 PM IST • CISO Strategic Briefing
For years, we've been telling a great lie in the cybersecurity industry. We tell it in our boardrooms, in our incident response reports, and in our budget justifications. The lie is that the "human element" is the weakest link in our security chain. We present statistics showing that over 60% of all data breaches involve a human factor—a clicked phishing link, a reused password, a misconfigured server. And while the statistic is true, the conclusion we draw is wrong. We have spent a decade and billions of dollars trying to "fix the user" with endless awareness training and phishing simulations, yet the number remains stubbornly high. Why? Because the user was never the problem. The problem is a security ecosystem built on broken processes, overwhelming friction, and a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature. This isn't a call to double down on awareness training. This is a CISO's call to action to stop blaming the victim and start fixing the real problem: our systems. This is the playbook for addressing the human risk you're currently not fixing.
Disclosure: This is a strategic briefing for senior leaders. It contains affiliate links to our full suite of recommended solutions for building a modern, human-centric security program. Your support helps fund our independent research.
Executive Summary / TL;DR
Blaming employees for security breaches is a failed strategy. The root cause is not user error, but a security program built on friction and poor design. The real fix is a four-pronged, "Secure by Design" approach: 1) **Fix the Process:** Simplify security and make the secure way the easy way. 2) **Fix the Culture:** Move from a culture of blame to a blame-free culture that encourages reporting. 3) **Fix the Technology:** Deploy modern tools (like EDR and strong MFA) that stop threats before they ever reach the user. 4) **Fix the Architecture:** Implement a Zero Trust model that contains the blast radius of inevitable human error.
Chapter 1: The Great Lie - Why 'Fixing the User' is a Losing Battle
The "human factor" is consistently cited as the root cause of the majority of data breaches. But what does this actually mean? It's a catch-all term for a wide range of scenarios:
- An employee in accounting clicks a link in a sophisticated phishing email and enters their credentials.
- A cloud engineer misconfigures an S3 bucket, leaving sensitive data exposed to the public internet.
- A developer hardcodes an API key in their source code, which is then pushed to a public GitHub repository.
- An IT help desk agent is social engineered into resetting a password for an attacker.
For years, our primary response to all of these has been the same: **"We need more user awareness training!"** We force our employees into a once-a-year, click-through slideshow about phishing, and then we are surprised when it doesn't work.
This approach is doomed to fail because it is based on a flawed premise. It assumes the problem is a lack of knowledge. The real problems are far deeper:
- Friction vs. Productivity: We design security processes that are complex and cumbersome. When a security control makes it harder for an employee to do their job, they will find a way to bypass it. This isn't malicious; it's human nature.
- **Alert Fatigue and Burnout:** We overwhelm our employees with so many notifications, pop-ups, and warnings that they become desensitized and start to ignore them.
- **The Impossibility of Perfection:** We are asking non-security professionals to become expert threat detectors. We expect them to spot a pixel-perfect phishing email from a sophisticated nation-state actor at 4:55 PM on a Friday. This is an unrealistic expectation.
The user is not the weakest link; they are the target of a systemic failure. The responsibility for the breach does not lie with the employee who clicked the link; it lies with the organization that failed to create a system resilient enough to withstand that single, inevitable click.
Chapter 2: The Real Fix - A 4-Part Playbook for Human-Centric Security
To truly address the 60% of human-caused breaches, we must stop trying to patch the human and start fixing the system they operate in. This requires a holistic, four-part strategy.
Part 1: Fix the Process (Make the Secure Way the Easy Way)
Your goal should be to design security processes that are so simple, intuitive, and frictionless that the secure path is also the path of least resistance.
- **Review Your High-Friction Processes:** Where do your employees complain the most? Is it the cumbersome VPN? The complex password reset procedure? These are your highest-risk areas because they are where users are most likely to create insecure workarounds.
- **Automate and Simplify:** Instead of a 20-step manual process for requesting access, can it be automated with a simple, one-click approval in a tool like Slack?
- **Provide Secure Defaults:** Ensure your systems are secure by default. A new cloud database should be private by default, not public.
Case Study in Process Improvement:
The IT Help Desk is a classic high-friction, high-risk process. Instead of relying on a junior agent to remember a complex verification script, implement a modern, secure access solution. A remote access tool that enforces strong MFA before a session even begins removes the burden of identity verification from the agent and makes the process both more secure and more efficient.
[Need help designing a secure, low-friction IT process? Contact our experts.]
Part 2: Fix the Culture (Move from Blame to Empowerment)
A punitive security culture is a silent killer. If employees are afraid they will be fired for reporting a mistake, they will not report it.
You must foster a **blame-free security culture**.
- **Celebrate Reporting:** When an employee reports that they clicked on a phishing link, they should be thanked for their quick action, which allows the SOC to respond immediately. They should be treated as a victim and a valuable part of the solution, not the cause of the problem.
- **Gamify Security:** Turn your security training from a boring annual requirement into an engaging, continuous process. Use gamification, leaderboards, and rewards for positive security behaviors.
Part 3: Fix the Technology (The Safety Net)
You must invest in a modern technology stack that is designed to catch the threats that slip past your human defenses.
This is your essential safety net:
The Core Technical Toolkit
This is the non-negotiable technology stack for a modern, resilient enterprise.
- Endpoint Detection & Response (Kaspersky): Your primary safety net. A powerful EDR like **Kaspersky** can detect and automatically block the malicious activity that occurs *after* a user clicks a link, preventing a simple mistake from becoming a full-blown ransomware incident.
- Phishing-Resistant MFA (YubiKeys):** The ultimate defense against credential theft. By mandating hardware keys like **YubiKeys, available on AliExpress**, you make it impossible for an attacker to use a stolen password.
Part 4: Fix the Architecture (Assume Failure with Zero Trust)
The final and most important fix is to design your network with the assumption that the first three layers will sometimes fail. An employee will be tricked, and their account and machine will be compromised. A Zero Trust architecture is designed to contain the damage of that event.
- **Microsegmentation:** A compromised machine in a Zero Trust network is trapped in a small, isolated segment, unable to spread the infection to the rest of the enterprise.
Chapter 3: The India Context - Building a Resilient Human Firewall for a Digital Nation
In India, this human-centric approach is even more critical. Our incredible diversity, our multi-lingual business environment, and the sheer speed of our digital transformation create unique challenges and opportunities for building a resilient security culture.
The Modern Indian Professional's Toolkit
Building a Digital India requires skilled people and modern tools.
- Upskilling for Digital India (Edureka):** The single biggest enabler for our nation's security is a skilled workforce. We must invest in training our people. As a Bengaluru-based brand, we are proud to partner with **Edureka** to provide world-class, certified training in Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Cloud Computing on platforms like **Alibaba Cloud**.
- Secure Remote Work (TurboVPN): The shift to remote work is a massive opportunity for India. A trusted **VPN** is essential for securing this new work model.
- Global Communication Skills (YES Education Group):** For Indian professionals to lead on the world stage, clear and confident English communication is vital. A program from the **YES Education Group** can be a powerful career accelerator.
- Powering Startups (Rewardful): For the next generation of Indian SaaS startups, tools like **Rewardful** are essential for building a growth engine.
Financial & Lifestyle Resilience for Digital India
Personal security is national security. Protecting your own finances is a key part of our collective resilience.
- Secure Digital Banking (Tata Neu):** Manage your UPI payments, shopping, and bills in a secure, unified platform like the **Tata Neu Super App**, and use a dedicated card like the **Tata Neu Credit Card** for online purchases.
- Premier Banking Security (HSBC):** For senior leaders, ensure your banking partner, like **HSBC Premier**, offers the robust security and global fraud protection your assets require.
Chapter 4: Extended FAQ for CISOs and HR Leaders
Q: How do we measure the effectiveness of a "blame-free" security culture?
A: You can measure it through metrics like a high rate of self-reported security incidents (e.g., "I clicked a link"), a fast "dwell time" for those self-reported incidents, and positive feedback on employee satisfaction surveys regarding the security team's approachability and helpfulness.
Q: Isn't focusing on process and technology just abdicating personal responsibility?
A: Not at all. It's about creating an environment where it's easy for people to do the right thing. Personal responsibility is still crucial, but it should be the last line of defense, not the first. We should expect our people to be vigilant, but we must provide them with a system that is resilient enough to withstand the moments when they are inevitably human.
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About the Author
CyberDudeBivash is a cybersecurity strategist with over 15 years of experience in threat intelligence and incident response, focusing on the intersection of technology, business risk, and human behavior. He provides strategic advisory services to CISOs and boards across the APAC region. [Last Updated: September 29, 2025]
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