Shock, Punish, Repeat: How Not to Train Humans for Cyber Risk - Ep 154

Reimagining Cyber - real world perspectives on cybersecurity

What if everything we’ve been doing in cybersecurity awareness training is not just outdated — but harmful?

In this episode of Reimagining Cyber, Rob Aragao, Chief Security Strategist at OpenText, talks with Craig Taylor, co-founder and CISO at CyberHoot, who makes a bold claim: punishment-based training is not only ineffective — it’s counterproductive. Drawing from his background in psychology and years of cybersecurity leadership, Craig explains why we need to ditch outdated tactics and embrace positive reinforcement to reduce human risk.

From the failure of fake phishing tests to real-world results from forward-thinking organizations, Craig reveals a smarter, more human-centered way to train. If you're tired of scare tactics and want a strategy that actually builds cyber resilience, this episode is your wake-up call.

Follow or subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast platform.
Share the show with others in the cybersecurity world.
Get in touch via [email protected]

As featured on Million Podcasts' Best 100 Cybersecurity Podcast and Best 70
Chief Information Security Officer CISO Podcasts rankings.