You CAN Stop Stupid. Ira Winkler

Introduction

      We believe that the title of a book is perhaps its most critical characteristic. We acknowledge that the title, You Can Stop Stupid is controversial. We had considered other possible titles, such as Stopping Human Attacks, but such a title does not convey the essence of this book. Although we do intend to stop attacks that target your users, the same methodology will stop attacks by malicious insiders, as well as accidents.

      The underlying problem is not that users are the targets of attacks or that they accidentally or maliciously create damage, but that users have the ability to make decisions or take actions that inevitably lead to damage.

      That is the fundamental issue this book addresses, and it makes a critical distinction: The problem lies not necessarily in the user, but also in the environment surrounding the people performing operational functions.

What Is Stupid?

      Managers, security specialists, IT staff, and other professionals often complain that employees, customers, and users are stupid. But what is “stupid”? The definition of “stupid” is having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.

      First, let's examine the attribute of showing a great lack of intelligence. When your organization hires and reviews people, you generally assess whether they have the requisite intelligence to perform the required duties. If you did hire or retain an employee knowing that they lacked the necessary intelligence to do the job, who is actually stupid in this scenario: the employee or the employer?

      Regarding a person who shows a great lack of common sense, there is a critical psychological principle regarding common sense: You cannot have common sense without common knowledge. Therefore, someone who is stupid for demonstrating a great lack of common sense is likely suffering from a lack of common knowledge. Who is responsible for ensuring that the person has such common knowledge? That responsibility belongs to the people who place or retain people in positions within the organization.

In general, don't accuse someone in your organization of being stupid. Instead, identify and adjust your own failings in bad employment or training practices, as well as the processes and technologies that enable the “stupidity.”

Do You Create Stupidity?

      When people talk about employee, customer, and other user stupidity, they are often thinking of the actions those users take that cause damage to your organization. In this book, we refer to that as user-initiated loss (UIL). The simple fact is that a user can't initiate loss unless an organization creates an environment that puts them in a position to do so. While organizations do have to empower employees, customers, and other users to perform their tasks, in most environments, there is little thought paid to proactively reducing UIL.

      It is expected that users will make mistakes, fall for tricks, or purposefully intend to cause damage. An organization needs to consider this in its specification of business practices and technological environments to reduce the potential for user-initiated loss.

      Even if you reduce the likelihood for people to cause harm, you cannot eliminate all possibilities. There is no such thing as perfect security, so it is folly to rely completely on prevention. For that reason, wise organizations also embed controls to detect and reduce damage throughout their business processes.

How Smart Organizations Become Smart

      Consider that large retail stores, such as Target, have a great deal to lose from a physical standpoint. Goods can be physically stolen. Cashiers can potentially steal money. These are just a couple of common forms of loss in retail environments.

      To account for the theft of goods, extensive security controls are in place. Cameras monitor areas where goods are delivered, stored, and sold. Strict inventory control systems track everything. Store associates are rewarded for reporting potential shoplifters. Security guards, sometimes undercover, patrol the store. High-value goods are outfitted with sensors, and sensor readers are stationed at the exits.