OutThink's Cybersecurity Training Uses NLP and Data to Mitigate Employee Risk

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Traditionally, cybersecurity was about technology, but in reality, it's about people.

Research indicates that human behavior accounts for the majority of cybersecurity issues: 95% according to the World Economic Forum; 82% according to Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report; nearly 91% according to the UK Information Commissioner's Office.

It's not for lack of training, said Flavius ​​Plesu, CEO of new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform OutThink.

“Workers have not been ignored; training has always been a key part of the security landscape,” he said.

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However, he pointed out, these were primarily delivered through computerized Security Awareness Training (SAT).

"Until now, the goal of the SAT has been to educate rather than understand users," he said.

To solve this problem, OutThink claims to have invented a new category of software: the cybersecurity human risk management platform. To help with its development, the company announced today that it has raised $10 million in a seed-stage funding round.

"The whole platform is about making the human side of security practical," Plesu said.

An ever-increasing risk

Cyberattacks continue to increase in complexity, scope and cost. The average cost of a data breach worldwide is $4.35 million; in the United States, it's more than double, at $9.44 million.

In fact, the World Economic Forum's 2021 Global Risks Report ranks cyberattacks among the top three threats of the decade, alongside weapons of mass destruction and climate change.

When it comes to human behavior, the focus of this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October) is "See yourself in cyber." Gartner identifies "beyond awareness" programs as one of the top cybersecurity trends in 2022.

“Progressive organizations are moving beyond outdated compliance-based awareness campaigns and investing in holistic behavior and culture change programs designed to bring about safer ways of working,” writes Peter Firstbrook, analyst at Gartner.

Taking training to the next level

Companies offering platforms for this purpose include KnowBe4, SoSafe, CybSafe, Cyber ​​Risk Aware, and CyberReady, among others.

OutThink's tool uses monitored machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) and applied psychology to reveal what users really believe and assess their risk, Plesu explained.

Intelligence is combined with data from...