The Psychological Impacts of Cyberattacks

This is the fifth episode in our ongoing series about the individuals who, in a matter of moments, transition from employees to rescuers in the aftermath of a destructive cyberattack.

These are what I call the “Heroes.”

Let’s Rewrite the Story of a Cyberattack

“With the support of the CIO, I can say that things got structured very quickly, so we were automatically well supported. After that, we quickly fell back into the ways of the crisis. Management would come

back with priorities, and push for things to come back right away, when we hadn’t even finished putting the basic systems back together…”

Excerpt From the Interview

My book is dedicated to encouraging companies to consider the human aspect in the context of cyber-attacks. But coaching has only been part of my professional practice for the past 4 years. For over 25 years now, my career has been centered on helping customers strengthen their data resilience. This scenario is freely inspired by one of my corporate clients …

In this episode, I will fictionize a cyberattack, but by suing what I call a non-winning scenario. A non-winning scenario is when a company do not consider security as a strategic priority. No goal, no failure until the incident happens.

Typical identification factor: “Zen attitude”

Once upon a time, there was a company without living in complete ignorance of the risks of cyberattacks. While this scenario may seem like the previous one at first glance, the mindset is completely different, it is closer to that of a child living in a fantasy world.

This situation is a lose-lose for the company, which overlooks the importance of IT resilience, mistakenly believing cyberattacks are unlikely. The company has little reason to invest in training. As there is little oversight, best practices are rare or only exist thanks to a few individuals.  As a result, its IT systems become outdated due to inactivity and lack of engagement, with projects left unfinished. Although it may seem trivial, this scenario is dangerous – we’re facing a state of delusional complacency.

A non-winning scenario could be marked by frustration among teams and between management levels due to inconsistencies between stated policies and actual practices. This could create ongoing tension around cybersecurity. Although the IT infrastructure may be effective and efficient, the company’s economic success relies on easy business. Thus, the level of cyber resilience ultimately depends on the technical staff’s motivation. Some individuals may prioritize the protection of IT systems over their own well-being and relationships, creating an unhealthy work-life balance that would need rectification.

In the event of a cyberattack, detection is unlikely unless there are obvious indicators, such as system-wide crashes or explicit warnings. The absence of a well-defined plan often leads to chaos, with leadership responding in fear and frustration. This reaction can be understood, considering their lack of strong alliances with experienced experts. A victim mentality may prevail, with sentiments like “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why won’t anyone help me when I’m at rock bottom?” The potential consequences of such a scenario are dire, on par with playing Russian roulette with the company’s survival. The ability to recover lost data and the speed at which business applications can be restored will be key factors in determining the outcome.

Managers may suddenly acknowledge their accountability and abruptly alter their position. They will claim to have consistently advocated for security measures, blaming the technical team for not heeding or implementing their suggestions. The technical team is expected to respond with improvement proposals, arguing that they were never funded.

This results in a contradictory period, bordering on schizophrenia, where leaders, who were once held accountable, now adopt the role of saviors. Meanwhile, technicians feel guilty and are burdened with suspicion, potentially being suspected of complicity in the cyberattack. Despite their significant shortcomings and accompanying guilt, these heroes remain committed to their roles, some even developing a deep affection for their computer systems. This devotion pushes them to extraordinary lengths to surmount the crisis. This phase will be characterized by intense emotions, including crying, yelling, and insomnia due to exhaustion. There will also be impulsive actions, mental stress, and conflict within the family.

In the post-incident analysis, it will be stated that the crisis stemmed from a highly unlikely series of events, occurring despite management’s consistent encouragement of IT staff to adopt best practices. Which is a completely unfounded statement that attempts to rewrite the narrative.

Our heroes will face a difficult time. The HR department, which serves as management’s enforcement arm, will strictly penalize those responsible. Those who keep their jobs should count themselves lucky. Any recognition of their efforts will be superficial and insincere. In the future, people will tend to forget about past incidents, but the consequences will persist for years, leading to many resignations and cases of burnout. Some people may suffer physical effects, which will create a sharp contrast between their lives before and after the trauma. They’ll have to cope with the consequences.

The fall of the Heroes!

THINGS TO REMEMBER

There are still many companies who are neglecting to prioritize cyber risk within their strategy. Living carefree is pleasant, but the fall will be all the harder for those affected. This is the worst script.

Stay tuned for the next episode.