The Human Firewall: even with AI, humans are still the last line of defense in cybersecurity

Even with today’s vast arsenal of cybersecurity tools and AI-enhanced threat detection, attackers continue to succeed – not because the technology is failing, but because the human link in the defensive chain remains exposed. Cybercriminals almost always take the path of least resistance to execute a breach, which often means targeting people rather than a system.

According to McKinsey, a staggering 91% of cyberattacks have less to do with technology, and more to do with manipulating and taking advantage of human behavior. In other words, despite technologies like AI advancing at break-neck speed, cybercriminals are still more likely to hack people than machines.

From a cybercriminal’s perspective, this makes sense. It’s the path of least resistance. Why spend resources hacking your way through a high-tech, AI-secured front door when there’s an open window around the back? This isn’t news to CISOs – according to a 2024 IBM ...