Defending Against Human-Targeted Attacks Requires More Than Technology

InnovationDefending Against Human-Targeted Attacks Requires More Than TechnologyByNeal Bradbury,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 08, 2026, 09:00am EDTNeal Bradbury is Chief Product Officer at Barracuda. getty​Building true cyber resilience demands a blend of technical controls, cultural change, continuous training and constant adaptation.​Cyberattackers no longer need to force their way into IT systems. They simply insert themselves into the rhythm of everyday business and count on people to make the next move. That’s why human-targeted attacks continue to succeed, even in organizations with strong technical defenses.Barracuda threat analysts uncovered a phishing campaign that underscores the scale and sophistication of this challenge. Attackers impersonated senior executives at construction firms and delivered convincing project notifications through the Autodesk Construction Cloud. The links led to a legitimate Autodesk-hosted page containing a ZIP file. Once opened, users were met with a captcha screen designed to harvest Microsoft login credentials. The infrastructure was real. The messages were credible. The exploitation was entirely and effectively human-driven.​While advanced AI-driven security tools dramatically improve visibility across systems and applications, they still can’t predict how a person will react to a convincing email requesting information or payment. That’s why true resilience requires more than technology. It demands a clear understanding of human-centric risk, tailored training that reflects how people work and visible leadership commitment to making secure behavior the norm.​Why Human-Focused Attacks WorkEmail remains the most reliable entry point for attackers. It gives them a direct line to their targets and allows them to exploit routine business behavior without raising...