The human element is often seen as the weakest link in cybersecurity. This idea is based on the belief that human behaviour and awareness may not be as strong as the technical aspects of cybersecurity. Cyberspace is rapidly expanding and affecting society in various ways. The pervasive nature of cyber threats presents a significant challenge to governments, businesses, organizations, and individual users. Unfortunately, the South African Psychology context has not given enough attention to cybersecurity awareness as an emerging threat. This calls for urgent exploration of how the human element can adapt and improve their online security behaviour. In a webinar, Dr. Kyle Bester argues that the human element can be both a source of vulnerability and strength in cybersecurity.
About the presenter
Kyle Bester is a registered Research Psychologist and senior psychology lecturer and has 8 years of professional experience. He functions as a senior psychology lecturer at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and specialises in cybersecurity awareness in the SA armed forces context. He completed his PhD in Military Science at Stellenbosch University in 2023. He serves as an executive committee member in the Division for Research and Methodology (DRM) at the Psychological Society of South Africa. His research interests include military science; data colonialism; cybersecurity awareness; securitization of cyberspace and online security behaviour. He has published and presented papers both locally and internationally. He is also a product of the Emerging Psychologist Programme hosted in Prague 2024.
