Clearly we’re obsessed with GIFs and this one from “Catch Me If You Can” is one of my favorites – where the imposter extraordinaire uses “So you concur?” to establish credibility amongst those with genuine credentials. While he gets away with it in the movie, in fields like cybersecurity and IT this approach can have serious consequences.
Echo chambers, where everyone simply agrees without critical analysis, are particularly dangerous in cybersecurity. The stakes are high, and the complexity of threats along with the various ways we remediate them requires more than just nodding along. Just like in medicine, where a misdiagnosis can have dire outcomes, in cybersecurity, being a ‘Yes Man’ and blindly concurring with others or giving answers to make people happy can lead to breaches, data loss, and other catastrophic events.
Progress in cybersecurity operations comes from the courage to question, challenge, and ultimately educate. It’s about having the knowledge and confidence to explain and defend your position, even if it goes against the grain. This approach not only strengthens security measures but also fosters an environment of continuous learning and improvement – eventually leading to secure, compliant environments that benefit not just the organization but also its employees.
Let’s move away from echoing approvals and towards a culture of informed, critical discussion.