In this week’s Conversation with Goodman podcast, host Susan LeBlanc talks to Teju Herath, Associate Professor of Information Systems in Brock’s Goodman School of Business, about her research on cyber security.

Herath’s research focuses on two main streams — the behavioural aspects of information security and management of security. Information security is more important than ever as cyber security breaches occur more frequently and new threats arise.

“As the information technology has become so pervasive and its use grows, so are the threats growing and that is why it is so important for all of us to take it seriously,” she says.

Herath has researched phishing extensively and describes this type of scam as a social engineering threat.

“Social engineering threats take advantage of our trusting nature and those issues cannot be completely overcome by technologies alone,” she says.

Instead of looking for a technological solution to a problem like phishing scams, Herath says we must focus on the policies, practices and methods to protect ourselves since the main problem with this type of threat is the people behind it.

“Information itself has no ethics. People are one of the most important components,” she says.

Herath’s best advice for people looking to protect their data online is to ‘think before you click,’ which is also an integral part of Brock’s security awareness program launched last year by Information Technology Services.

This podcast is the latest in the Conversations with Goodman series which is produced by the Goodman Marketing, Communications and Alumni Relations team and features guests from the Goodman community.