Whitepapers & Publications

Using Natural Language Assessment in Cybersecurity Efforts i Introduction roughout any hiring, development and engagement efforts, organizations that understand their employees and accommodate human nature in addition to implementing cybersecurity tools will make themselves more resilient to cyberattacks. Cybercriminals often exploit human behavior to achieve their goals: Whether it's malware that requires a click to infect a system, a "phishing" email that requests sensitive information or a straight-up bribe for access, people are on the front lines of your organization's cyberdefenses. That human element often makes cybersecurity a talent-management issue as much as it is an IT or risk-management concern. And when it comes to risk, no industry is safe. IBM's X-Force Threat Intelligence Index says financial services and health care companies are vulnerable to malicious insider threats, while IT, manufacturing and retail are more likely to face threats from outside the organization. Your employees are a significant part of your defense against these risks. As such, your people strategy can play a big role in your approach to cybersecurity. Throughout any hiring, development and engagement efforts, organizations that understand their employees and accommodate human nature in addition to implementing cybersecurity tools will make themselves more resilient to cyberattacks. Natural language assessment is a tool that can help with all of these issues. Natural language assessment analyzes written communication such as employee emails and chats, and flags changes that may indicate a decline in positive sentiment toward the organization. Even an employee who as a candidate went through an assessment and was identified as a good fit can have negative feelings after a while; natural language assessment can indicate whether that employee is feeling disconnected from the company and may be at risk for releasing data or be vulnerable to blackmail. Training can help prevent accidental breaches, while natural language assessments can help prevent intentional breaches — but only if you have other foundational systems in place. This article will describe what your organization's people strategy needs in order to succeed in using natural language assessment, and provide steps to implement it at your organization.

• Cover