Ah, the Bagel Effect—a delightful name for a not-so-delightful lapse in cybersecurity vigilance. Picture this: It’s the day before a dreaded early-morning meeting, and you and your coworkers, in a collective moment of wishful thinking, agree that bagels would be the perfect pre-meeting morale booster. Everyone nods enthusiastically, visions of everything bagels slathered with cream cheese dancing in your heads. The next morning, you skip breakfast, already tasting that glorious bagel. But when you walk into the office, there’s no smell of toasty bagels or fresh coffee—just the musty scent of old keyboards and disappointment. Everyone thought someone else was bringing the bagels, and now, you’re all facing the meeting, hungry and irritable. Welcome to the Bagel Effect.

In cybersecurity, the Bagel Effect is when individuals assume that others are handling the vigilance—keeping an eye out for threats, updating the software, scrutinizing suspicious emails. And, as a result, no one does. The organization, much like your bagel-less office, is left vulnerable and unprepared.

The Psychology Behind The Bagel Effect

The Bagel Effect thrives on two well-known psychological phenomena: diffusion of responsibility and social loafing. Diffusion of responsibility occurs when we think, “Someone else will handle it,” so we don’t. Social loafing is when we exert less effort because we’re in a group. In the context of cybersecurity, these mindsets can lead to neglecting crucial tasks—ignoring phishing attempts and delaying security updates—all because we assume someone else is taking care of it.

And that’s where the real danger lies. In today’s digital workplace, where cyber threats lurk behind every click and keystroke, a single moment of inattention can lead to disaster.

Impact On Organizations

The Bagel Effect can have catastrophic consequences. As everyone relaxes, thinking the IT department or that one “tech-savvy” colleague has everything under control, the likelihood of a successful cyberattack skyrockets. This leads to data breaches, financial loss and a tarnished reputation—especially in high-stakes sectors like finance, healthcare and government, where information security is critical.

Countermeasures And Best Practices

So how do we fight the Bagel Effect? Start with a culture shift—one where every employee understands that they are a crucial part of the cybersecurity defense team. Regular training and awareness programs are essential, as is instilling a sense of personal responsibility. Proactive security behaviors should be encouraged, and clear, straightforward protocols for reporting potential threats should be provided. Create a sense of cybersecurity comradery; everyone should feel part of the greater good when it comes to protecting the organization from the bad guys.

Case Studies

Take, for example, a mid-sized financial institution that fell victim to a major data breach because of the Bagel Effect. An internal audit revealed widespread complacency; employees assumed cybersecurity was solely the IT department’s problem. In the wake of the breach, the company revamped its cybersecurity training, emphasizing that vigilance isn’t just for the experts—it’s for everyone. The results? A noticeable improvement in security practices and a substantial reduction in vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

The Bagel Effect is a sneaky adversary in cybersecurity, but it’s not unbeatable. By recognizing the psychological traps we fall into and fostering a workplace culture of shared responsibility, organizations can defend against this silent threat. Remember, cybersecurity isn’t someone else’s job—it’s everyone’s. And just like making sure there are bagels in the morning, it starts with you.

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About Coro

Coro, the leading cybersecurity platform for small and midsize businesses, revolutionized cybersecurity with the introduction of the world’s first modular cybersecurity platform in 2023. Coro’s platform empowers organizations to easily defend against malware, ransomware, phishing, data leakage, network threats, insider threats and email threats across devices, users, networks and cloud applications. Coro’s platform automatically detects and remediates the many security threats that today’s distributed businesses face, without IT teams having to worry, investigate, or fix issues themselves. Ranked on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for its second consecutive year, Coro is one of the fastest growing cybersecurity companies in North America today.

For more information, please visit Coro at coro.net, via LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Media Contact

Walker Sands for Coro

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