“I Didn’t Think It Was Loaded” and Other Mental Derps: Cognitive Biases in Security
Michele Fincher explores cognitive biases and psychological lapses that lead well-intentioned individuals to bypass security protocols and fall for scams.
Summary
The Psychological Foundations of Human Vulnerability
Security failures frequently stem not from malicious intent, but from predictable cognitive shortcuts and psychological blind spots shared by all humans.
Dissecting Cognitive Biases and Heuristic Fallacies
Michele Fincher analyzes confirmation bias, optimism bias, authority compliance, and situational awareness fatigue in corporate workplaces.
Exploiting Subconscious Trust in Everyday Pretexts
Fincher illustrates how social engineers craft attack scenarios that seamlessly align with victims' internal mental models and routine habits.
Designing Security Programs that Work with Human Nature
The author advocates for empathetic security training, intuitive user interface design, and removing psychological barriers to reporting mistakes.
Related talks
DCGVR Village·54 min
Exploring how storytelling, character development, and narrative pacing learned in creative writing form the foundation of compelling social engineering pretexts.
Social Engineering Village·35 min
You Are Being Manipulated
Deconstructing cognitive biases, emotional vulnerabilities, and influence techniques used to manipulate individuals in everyday life.
Social Engineering Village·52 min
Examining why people remain the most vulnerable target in security perimeters, and how organizations can cultivate proactive defense.