October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. All month long, the Information Security Office is sharing ways you can protect yourself — and the University — online. Discover more Cybersecurity Awareness Month events, or for tips on strengthening cybersecurity year-round, visit Safe Computing at UNC.
Ever wonder how your habits play into your online security?
To find out, join the Information Security Office for a free webinar, “Hacking Your Brain for Better Cybersecurity,” on October 13, at 11 a.m.
The presentation is open to UNC students, faculty and staff. Attendees must register in advance.
George Finney, best-selling author and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Southern Methodist University, will lead the presentation.
Throughout his almost two-decade long career in cybersecurity, he has assisted startups, global firms, nonprofits and higher educational institutions.
He holds a Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Arts from St. John’s College and as well as multiple cybersecurity certifications.
Security is a behavior
Finney’s philosophy puts people at the center of cybersecurity. “Security isn’t a skill or something that you’re born with,” he said. “Security is a behavior.”
According to Finney, many of us believe that adopting a cynical attitude is necessary to be secure. In his award-winning book, “Well Aware,” Finney demonstrates that the opposite is true. He proves we can hack our own brain’s “habit loop” to make being more secure easy.
“As humans, we have the unique ability to understand how our own minds work, and then we can change our own minds from the outside in,” Finney said. “Security is not a competency; it is a behavior. Behaviors can’t be changed overnight, but they can be changed.”
During the webinar, Finney will help attendees “hack their brain” to find their own top internal and external cybersecurity strengths and understand how habits play a role in being more secure. Then, he will share a roadmap for using the science behind habits to change behavior to make security possible for anyone.
Register to hack your brain — and your habit loop — to stay safer online.