Page 167 - Cyber Defense eMagazine August 2024

Empowering Security Through Timely Nudges: Harnessing

Behavioral Science for Real-Time Interventions

By Tim Ward, CEO of ThinkCyber Security

Picture this: your colleague’s about to click a link that you know is dodgy. You see it happening from the
corner of your eye and intervene just before it’s too late, ready to offer a timely tap on the shoulder and
guide them away from the risky action. Now imagine this happening every time they go to plug in a
questionable USB stick, upload a sensitive file, or inadvertently reveal their credentials. Whilst it’s almost
impossible for humans to catch these risky behaviors in the act every time, this scenario takes nudge
theory to its ultimate application—immediate, in-the-moment guidance that is even measurable.

But before diving into these real-time interventions, let's start at the beginning by addressing some
fundamental questions:

• What is nudge theory?
• What is choice architecture?
• What constitutes a nudge and what does not?

Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2024 Edition 167
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