ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES IN MITIGATING HUMAN FACTORS IN CYBERSECURITY

Abstract

The issue of cybersecurity is of high importance in the digital age, and human factors remain the most vulnerable element despite significant technological progress. Even the strongest security systems can be compromised by human error, negligence, insider threats, and ethical breaches. This proposed study examines the ethical challenges associated with mitigating human factors in cybersecurity, with particular emphasis on the impact of ethical awareness, training, and policy compliance on safe behavior among users and professionals. The primary aim of the study is to examine how ethical practices contribute to addressing human-related cybersecurity threats and to propose strategies for fostering ethical responsibility within organizations. The research relies on secondary quantitative data drawn from existing empirical studies and institutional reports on the relationship between ethical interventions and the reduction of human-related cybersecurity breaches between 2020 and 2024. The findings reveal a strong negative relationship between ethics training and the frequency of cybersecurity breaches (R² = 0.67), highlighting the significance of institutionalized ethics governance. Based on these findings, the study recommends mandatory periodic ethics training, transparent accountability frameworks, and the integration of ethics into cybersecurity education and professional development programs.