The Human Layer of Security: Why People are Still the Weakest Link in 2026
Humans remain the most vulnerable component of security, despite the rapid advancements in cyber defenses. The majority of breaches are still caused by human behavior, as per recent studies and professional predictions.
Your PQC Pilot Might Fail, and That’s Okay
Humans remain the most vulnerable component of security, despite the rapid advancements in cyber defenses. The majority of breaches are still caused by human behavior, as per recent studies and professional predictions. According to Gartner, human error and social engineering will account for 85% of data breaches by 2026. This opinion is supported by data from the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, which attributes about two-thirds of incidents to human error or credential misuse. According to some industry studies, human error may be responsible for up to 95% of breaches, ranging from a single click on a convincing phishing message to weak passwords and delayed patchingThe scope of the problem is acknowledged by CISOs themselves: According to Proofpoint, 74% of security executives now identify human error as the biggest cyber risk. In summary, the human layer of security in 2026 is still essential and constantly vulnerable despite unprecedented investments in tools and automation. Evolving Human-Factor Cybersecurity Risks The human factor in cyber risk is still evolving, but it is not going away. As our ways of working and technology continue to change, cyberattackers are exploiting trust, habit and cognitive biases rather than technical vulnerabilities. Experts warn that AI-enabled social engineering has fast-tracked this shift. As Bojan Simic, CEO of HYPR, states, “What once targeted human error now leverages AI to automate deception at scale, with deepfakes and synthetic voices as active threats.” This is reinforced by the CrowdStrike 2025 Global Threat Report, which found that 79% of all intrusions were malware-free and voice phishing attacks increased by 442% in late 2024. Predictive analysis also shows that the trend is continuing in this direction. According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance, the most significant cyber risks in 2026 will be those related to human behavior, new technology and outdated behavior.The fact is that real-world attacks are validating our concerns about the human factor in cyber risk. Cyberattackers are using AI to impersonate business leaders’ voices, schedule fake video calls and create highly realistic phishing emails. In fact, WPP CEO Mark Read recently revealed an attempt to use deepfake technology to commit fraud against senior leaders, citing the growing sophistication of attacks against trusted leaders and individuals. Indeed, social engineering, especially with the help of GenAI, is gaining momentum over most of our defenses. Most common cyber risks remain the same: Phishing and credential theft are dominant causes. 53% of breaches constitute stolen credentials, with phishing responsible for 16%. Business email compromise cost victim companies $2.77 billion in 2024 alone. Passwords still fail at scale, leading CISA and others to advocate for passwordless solutions, such as passkeys, which will be adopted by most platforms by 2026.This is clear: The human factor in cyber risk remains a weakness and a major part of most security incidents. Mimecast’s The State of Human Risk 2025 report found that human errors by insiders now account for the majority of incidents, with only 8% of employees responsible for 80% of all incidents — a stark reminder that managing cyber risk increasingly means managing the human layer itself.The Limits of Traditional Awareness Training If people are the weakest link, then training is the fix; limitations persist in this assumption. Many companies are stuck in a cycle of annual training sessions that are largely ineffective. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has long advocated that annual training is ineffective. This is a view shared by IBM; the company’s CISO surveys show that this type of training does little to change behavior and keep security at the forefront. The data also shows this to be a problem. While 87% of companies feel training is important to help people recognize attacks, 66% expect data loss due to insider threats to increase and a third expect human error in email security to be a concern. The problem is not that people are being malicious, but rather that training and design are failing. Positively, strategies are changing. By 2026, there will be a shift in awareness toward timely, context-aware interventions delivered at the moment of risk. Organizations are replacing annual lectures with phishing simulations, microlearning through collaboration tools and real-time behavioral nudges that reinforce safe choices. Before clicking a link or setting a password, for example, brief prompts can greatly enhance results. Behavioral Design and Human-Centered Security In 2026, applying behavioral science to security is a growing trend. Companies are designing systems to automatically promote secure behavior, rather than only informing users about risks; for instance, implementing an interface that guides users to complete secure actions and automating processes that would typically require multiple user actions. Gartner’s Cybersecurity Strategy suggests a balance between innovation and productivity in cybersecurity, which includes utilizing a human risk management (HRM) platform that will provide insights and coaching to high-risk employees based on their actions. There are several practical examples of organizations utilizing behavioral science in security, such as a time-based MFA login process, just-in-time assistance during data entry and adaptive access controls that react to the context in which you’re using them. Organizations that have gamified their security programs reward teams for reporting incidents quickly and provide a dashboard so that individuals can measure their success based on their scores from individual phishing tests. The objective is to make it easy for individuals to choose the secure option and make it a part of their regular habit. According to a security executive interviewed by Gartner, “The future of cybersecurity is not just about smarter hackers; it’s about developing better cybersecurity habits.” By 2026, individuals will rely less on fear and be more successful at creating good security habits due to the amount of work created through design and cognitive psychology. Leadership and Culture: The CISOs’ Imperative Eventually, humans have been a source of both risk and resilience. Organizational culture and leadership set the tone for how security is perceived. CEOs and boards understand that human error will be the biggest risk to their business. Gartner emphasizes this duality: “The human factor in your organization is both your largest threat, as well as your greatest asset.” As a result, CISOs need to adopt the same attitude regarding the human factor in their organization. A good security culture begins at the executive level. According to IBM’s security experts, “a cybersecurity culture… starts with leadership that stresses the importance of cybersecurity.” When executives visibly prioritize security training, enforcing best security practices and discussing breaches publicly, they empower everyone in the organization to do the same. Regular communication (such as town halls and newsletters) keeps risk present in everyone’s minds. It is also necessary to break down silos; from HR to finance, all areas of the organization must be accountable for human factor cybersecurity risks. Effective leaders also invest in the development of metrics and tools. This includes collecting human-layer metrics (such as phishing click-through rates and incident rates by department) and using the data collected to create targeted interventions. IBM describes cybersecurity as “having a beginning and an end… all individuals create security threats to organizations and have the ability to prevent those threats from occurring.” Organizations that successfully implement cybersecurity will separate themselves from those that do not. It is important for the messages from leadership to be aligned with their actions. They must have enough funding to create awareness, ensure a robust infrastructure to reduce attitudes of ‘it’s not my job’ and break down barriers between all departments. For startups, it could be as easy as putting security in the developer workflow, whereas in the case of enterprises, consistent executive training and open governance are needed. Humans: Weakest Link to Security or a Strength? By 2026, there will be more automation in security and so will the threats be increasingly automated. Attackers continue to refine their technical capabilities and will also develop more sophisticated techniques for exploiting humans (hyper-personalized phishing scams and voice-forging). While technology advances, major breaches will result from human error. This is not a reason to resign ourselves to these failures; it is an opportunity for smarter action. By defining the human layer of the security model as ‘the weak link’, organizations can reframe that characteristic and leverage it to create strong defenses. Recent research shows that eliminating human risk is more than just compliance checklists; it requires a holistic approach that combines the implementation of advanced tools and techniques, the incorporation of human-centered aspects such as contextual training or a practical application and the presence of visible executive leadership. As more CISOs understand that people can be the first line of defense against cyberattacks, report anomalous actions, disrupt attacks and strengthen processes, they will also realize the significance of investing in the development of their employees’ resiliency to withstand various forms of social engineering. CrowdStrike has identified social engineering as a form of AI’s friend. Investment in security culture (not just technology) is critical. The sponsorship of executive-level basic hygiene and MFA utilization to secure default processes must be reinforced. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has stated that the future of cybersecurity is going to be less dependent on the intelligence of cyberattackers and more dependent on companies’ ability to sustain good habits and resist social engineering. The 2026 reality is that humans will remain the weakest part of security, and equally one of the strongest parts. If people are treated as a valuable resource rather than a risk and guided through the use of behavior-based design and positive role-modelling by leaders, the human element will have the opportunity to safeguard one of the cybersecurity areas still open to threats.
About Author
