How to Build a Cybersecurity Culture in Your Organisation

In 2025, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue, it’s a people issue, a leadership issue, and a culture issue.

According to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, human-related errors continue to play a major role in breaches, with phishing and compromised credentials among the top initial attack vectors. The report also found that the global average cost of a data breach reached USD $4.45 million, the highest on record, and this figure is expected to rise further in 2025 as attacks become more targeted and convincing.

This reality makes one thing clear. Even the most advanced cybersecurity solution cannot protect an organisation if the people inside it are not equipped. Building a strong security awareness culture is no longer optional. It is essential.

This article explores how organisations can move beyond tools alone and focus on people and processes to create a resilient culture cyber mindset. We will examine the human factors in cyber security, the risks of ignoring them, and practical ways to embed cybersecurity into everyday business behaviour. It also highlights how GARi EASM helps organisations understand and manage both technical and human exposure as part of a more complete approach to cyber risk.

The importance of cybersecurity culture

A cybersecurity culture exists when secure behaviour becomes the norm, not the exception. It means employees understand why cybersecurity matters, how their actions affect risk, and what is expected of them.

Many organisations invest heavily in cyber threat intelligence tools, attack surface management platforms, and monitoring technologies. These investments are critical, but they only address part of the problem. Cybersecurity failures often occur because people make mistakes under pressure, lack awareness, or do not feel responsible for security, not because systems are weak.

Creating a company culture for security means cybersecurity is treated like safety in a physical workplace. It is reinforced through leadership behaviour, clear policies, regular communication, and consistent training. When security is embedded into daily routines, employees become an active line of defence rather than an unintentional vulnerability. A strong cybersecurity culture also improves compliance. When people understand the reasoning behind security policies, they are more likely to follow them.

Risks of not having a cybersecurity culture

Increased human errors in cybersecurity

One of the biggest dangers of not investing in a cybersecurity culture is the rise in human errors in cybersecurity. These include:

• Clicking malicious links

• Reusing passwords

• Sending sensitive data to the wrong recipient

• Falling for social engineering tactics

While these actions may seem minor, they are often the starting point for serious incidents that lead to data breaches or operational disruption.

Greater exposure to the most common cyber attacks

Another major risk is increased exposure to the most common cyber attacks, many of which rely on human interaction rather than technical exploitation. Phishing, business email compromise, credential harvesting, and ransomware often succeed because attackers manipulate trust, urgency, or authority. Without a strong security awareness culture, employees may not recognise these threats until it is too late.

Vulnerability to emerging threats like deepfaking

Without a security awareness culture, organisations are also more vulnerable to emerging threats such as deepfaking. In 2025, attackers are increasingly using AI-generated voice and video to impersonate individuals. Employees who are not trained to question unusual requests may unknowingly transfer funds or disclose sensitive information, believing they are acting on legitimate instructions.

Reputational and regulatory consequences

Finally, the absence of a cybersecurity culture can result in serious reputational damage. Organisations are expected to take cybersecurity seriously, and repeated incidents caused by preventable human mistakes can impact your business image.

Define human risk in cybersecurity

Human risk refers to the likelihood that people within an organisation will unintentionally or intentionally contribute to a cyber incident. This includes mistakes, poor judgment, lack of awareness, or behaviour that bypasses security controls.

Human factors in cybersecurity are complex. People operate under deadlines, distractions, and competing priorities. Attackers exploit these conditions by crafting messages that feel urgent, personal, or authoritative. This is why technology alone cannot solve the problem.

When asking what common cybersecurity threat involves human interaction skills, the answer is social engineering. It relies on persuasion, manipulation, and psychological triggers rather than technical flaws. Phishing emails, fraudulent phone calls, and fake login pages all depend on human response. When organisations understand human risk, they can build security around real human behaviour.

Example of human risk in cybersecurity

An example of human risk that many organisations encounter is credential reuse. An employee uses the same password across multiple systems, including a personal account that gets breached. Attackers obtain the credentials and attempt to reuse them against corporate systems. If successful, they gain legitimate access without triggering many security alerts.

Another example of human risk is executive impersonation. An attacker uses publicly available information and deepfaking technology to pose as a senior member of staff. A finance employee receives a convincing message requesting an urgent payment. Without verification procedures or awareness training, the request may be approved.

These scenarios highlight how small actions can have large consequences when human risk is not managed effectively.

How to build a cybersecurity culture

Building a cybersecurity culture takes time, consistency, and leadership commitment. It is not a one-off initiative or a yearly training session. Below are practical ways organisations can strengthen their security awareness culture.

Leadership must set the tone

When leaders follow security policies, talk openly about cyber risk, and participate in training, employees notice. Executives should treat cybersecurity as a business risk, not just a technical issue. Regular communication from leadership helps reinforce that security is everyone’s responsibility.

Make employee training data security-focused and relevant

Effective employee training data security programmes go beyond generic presentations. Training should be role-based, practical, and updated regularly to reflect real, evolving threats.

For example:

• Finance teams need to understand payment fraud and executive impersonation. 

• HR teams should be trained on protecting personal data. 

• Technical teams need deeper awareness of credential exposure and access management. 

Training should also include simulations, such as phishing tests, to help employees recognise threats in realistic scenarios. RMI’s platform can offer phishing simulations to help decrease human risk in cybersecurity.

Simplify and enforce security policies

Policies that are overly complex or poorly communicated are often ignored. Security policies should be clear, concise, and easy to follow. Enforcement matters, but it should focus on accountability, not punishment. Clear expectations, consistent responses to repeated or intentional policy breaches, and positive reinforcement for good security behaviour help make secure practices part of everyday work.

Address human errors without blame

People will make mistakes. A strong cybersecurity culture encourages employees to report errors or suspicious activity without fear of blame. When people feel safe speaking up, incidents can be identified and contained more quickly, reducing impact and reinforcing shared responsibility for security.

Use GARi to manage human risk through cyber intelligence

RMI’s monitoring extends to human-related risks such as phishing susceptibility, credential exposure, and executive profiling. Through GARi’s dark web monitoring services, organisations can identify when C-level information or employee credentials have been leaked and assess how threat actors could exploit that data. This visibility helps reduce human risk before it leads to an incident.

GARi also supports comprehensive human risk management through fully featured phishing simulation and training tools. These tools are configurable and practical, helping organisations measure susceptibility to social engineering and improve employee awareness over time.

By combining behavioural insight, training, and cybersecurity monitoring, GARi strengthens decision-making, supports targeted education, and improves resilience. This approach enhances attack surface management by accounting for human exposure, not just technical assets. 

Strengthen your cybersecurity culture with GARi by RMI

Building a strong cybersecurity culture starts with understanding both your technology and your people. GARi by RMI helps you identify human risk, reduce exposure, and turn insight into action.

Contact us today to learn how RMI can support your organisation with comprehensive human risk management and cybersecurity monitoring with GARi Attack Surface Management Platform.