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Fujitsu Psychology Tool Profiles Users At Risk of Cyberattacks

Posted by timothy on from the did-you-click-on-the-taboola-link? dept.

itwbennett writes Fujitsu Laboratories is developing an enterprise tool that can identify and advise people who are more vulnerable to cyberattacks, based on certain traits. For example, the researchers found that users who are more comfortable taking risks are also more susceptible to virus infections, while those who are confident of their computer knowledge were at greater risk for data leaks. Rather than being like an antivirus program, the software is more like "an action log analysis than looks into the potential risks of a user," said a spokesman for the lab. "It judges risk based on human behavior and then assigns a security countermeasure for a given user."

8 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. LOL ... powering down ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny

    "It judges risk based on human behavior and then assigns a security countermeasure for a given user."

    For which I'm sure for many users that amounts to "system shut down will begin in ....".

    We used to have a receptionist who would install pretty much anything from anywhere. Animated dinosaur cursors? Bring 'em on. A game? Make it so. She'd click any link, any button, anywhere.

    Periodically it was just easier to wipe her machine, re-install from an image, and then let her destroy it again.

    I honestly never knew why they let her near a computer -- it was always so full of garbage that she couldn't do anything with it, and no amount of telling her why she shouldn't do that would work.

    She clearly never used the damned thing for anything work related, she couldn't have had the time. And then when she got it so broken it was unusable, she demanded the IT guy come immediately and fix it ... because she was obviously losing valuable time clicking on pointless crap on the internet.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:LOL ... powering down ... by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      Well, first off, this was in the era of XP, when everybody had admin rights.

      And, second ... the developers who occasionally got suckered into trying to help her always said to IT "Can we just lock her machine down so she can't do any damage?".

      But it was like groundhog day ... just this endless loop of crap on the PC, re-install, followed by her clicking everything and getting crap on her PC. She couldn't, or wouldn't, learn not to do it.

      Hopefully, wherever she is now they've locked the machine down so she can't do any damage.

      It was really sad to watch.

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      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. Re:Privacy Policies? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

    It sounds like Clippy from Hell: "It looks like you did not pay close attention to the privacy policy. Your computer will be locked until you re-read it and take the subsequent test to confirm your understanding of this policy".

    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  3. What could possibly go wrong? by ukoda · · Score: 2

    Looking at those traits I can help but think the system would class your typical programmer as a large security risk and lock the system down so tight that writing code was not an option...

    1. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

      So he could not write code, hence not create any trouble.

      The system works!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by clawsoon · · Score: 2

      That's exactly how we think about programmers over here in IT. Second only to executives as security risks.

  4. Er.. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 3, Insightful

    >those who are confident of their computer knowledge were at greater risk for data leaks.

    Doesn't that depend on why they are confident? If you're confident because you don't know what you don't know then maybe it's valid but if you're confident because you happen to have been designing computers for 30 years and are deeply involved in security architecture of computers, then maybe your confidence is well placed.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  5. Re:Senior Citizens = Naughty Bits by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Funny

    Old men like young boobies ... this is an evolutionary fact.

    I once had to have "the talk" with my father ... Dad, I know you want to sneak a peak at boobies when mom isn't looking, but most of those sites are really dangerous ... if you're going to look at boobies, use this browser which won't run scripts or anything, and which runs as a different profile. I've bookmarked a few sites to get you started. And no matter what you the ad claims, don't click it.. ;-)

    Always practice safe click.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.