The Security Mindset
What is a "Security Mindset" and how does this affect my daily life?
What is a "Security Mindset"?
Many security professionals will tell you, “If you want to be secure, you need to have a security mindset.” But what does that mean? Should you become paranoid over everything and everyone? Should you go off the grid and hide from society and technology? The short answer is NO.
Having a security mindset means, having a particular way of looking at the world. Having the right attitude, beliefs and values that motivate individuals to continually act in ways to secure themselves and others in today’s cruel world. “Thinking outside the box” or “Thinking as a criminal would”, are great ways of keeping an open mind to changing security threats and always evaluating your current security posture so you can be pro-active vs re-active.
How does this affect my daily life?
Once you adopt the "Security Mindset" you begin to look at things differently. You start to notice things such as:
How many exits are there.
Where can I go for cover if needed. - From weather or from criminals.
Who can help me if there is a medical emergency.
Does my cell phone have signal.
How long has it been since I checked in with someone.
Do I have proper training to survive in various situations.
etc.
etc.
Looking at the world with a security mindset helps keep you and your loved ones safe. Now, I will admit sometimes this way of thinking can be overpowering, exhausting and to others possibly annoying but, this doesn't mean you should stop! To reduce the risk of becoming a conspiracy theorist (paranoid) you need to always consider the "likelihood" or "possibility" something will actually happen. What I mean is you could prepare yourself for an alien invasion however the likelihood of martians attacking are a lot lower than your car breaking down in a bad neighborhood! So you need to use "Common Sense" (even though it isn't common) when evaluating your current security posture.
Remember you must always be evaluating your situation, looking for possible issues/threats and determining the best sensible solution for them! Just because something wasn't an issue/threat yesterday doesn't mean it isn't one today!
How does this affect my digital life?
The concept of the Security Mindset applies to more than just your Physical Security, it also applies to digital life as well!
When was the last time you thought about Cyber Security? Do you even know what cyber security means? A lot of people never stop to think about their digital footprint and what that can mean for their security or the security of their loved ones.
Take Facebook for example. Everyone loves to make posts about what they are doing, where they are, who they are with and to include photos...... Seems harmless enough right?
Assume you make a post, lets just say it reads "Hanging out with family! What a wonderful day!" you are publishing information out on the internet, regardless of your profile settings you are posting details on the internet. Now consider in your post you did the "check-in" feature for a park in a nearby city and tag your spouse and teenage child. Additionally you post a picture of all of you which includes your family dog (Fido) and newborn baby! Still seem harmless enough? To the average person.... sure it does! Your just having a great time with the family! Now all your friends can comment and like the post!
Now lets look at this "simple" post with our Security Mindset.
You have just told the entire world you are not at home. - Great time for a criminal to make a home visit huh.
You confirmed that your spouse, kids and even the family pet are all with you. - They don't have to worry about someone being in the house.... even the dog.
You gave real-time confirmation of your location. - They know exactly where you are and can very easily figure out how long it would take you to get home if you were alerted to a break-in. Or even worse... if they wanted to hurt or stalk you or a loved one... you just told them your exact location to come find you.
The best thing to do in this situation is to wait till after you are done at the park and then make your post on social media making sure the verbiage shows it was past tense such as "Had a great day hanging out with the family!"
“People always make the best exploits. I’ve never found it hard to hack most people. If you listen to them, watch them, their vulnerabilities are like a neon sign screwed into their heads.” – Elliot Alderson, Mr. Robot
How can I become 100% safe?
Sadly, this is an impossible feat. There is no such thing as being 100% safe/secure which is why the Security Mindset is so crucial to your safety.
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