A toxic cybersecurity culture does more than impact employee turnover, productivity and morale. It places enterprise systems, data and customer trust at risk. Organizations can struggle to identify the underlying issues in their security culture until it’s too late.

As Keri Pearlson, Executive Director for Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS), points out, “In a toxic cybersecurity culture, everybody believes cybersecurity is somebody else’s job. They do not see any value in making efforts that help keep the organization secure.”

Recognizing the warning signs and adopting corrective measures can be the difference between a resilient enterprise and one susceptible to constant security failures.

Warning Signs of a Toxic Cybersecurity Culture

When security is treated as a compliance checkbox rather than a strategic priority, it is often the first sign that your cybersecurity culture needs an overhaul. According to Rob T. Lee, Chief of Research at SANS Institute, such environments rush to deploy technology without proper review or implementing robust access controls, leaving critical vulnerabilities exposed.

The symptoms of a failing cybersecurity culture are often visible in behaviors and organizational dynamics. Chris Reffkin, Chief Security and Risk Officer at Fortra, notes, “Warning signs include being quick to punish issues, such as poor phishing training performance or accidental misconfigurations that result in a security event.”

This blame-oriented mentality discourages transparency and collaboration.

Leadership often contributes to the issue by failing to take cybersecurity seriously or set a tone that encourages secure behaviors. Pearlson highlights habitual problems like employees consistently failing phishing tests, sharing passwords and disregarding policies designed to safeguard the organization.

Wolfgang Goerlich of IANS Research warns against a “blame-first mentality,” which leads employees to hide mistakes, engage in public shaming and adopt shadow IT practices to bypass cybersecurity teams. When fear of punishment takes precedence over problem-solving, the organizational risks multiply.

Moreover, when employees fear reporting incidents due to repercussions, the transparency required to address vulnerabilities is lost. Dan Glass, CISO at NTT DATA North America, cautions, “The lack of a security-first culture minimizes the willingness of employees to raise issues that pose risks to the organization.”

Corrective Steps to Strengthen Cybersecurity Culture

A toxic culture can be transformed into a collaborative and resilient one with decisive action and consistent effort. Leadership, particularly CISOs, plays a crucial role in setting the tone for the organization.

1. Leading by Example

Chief Information Security Officers must adopt a hands-on approach, demonstrating that they are approachable and willing to collaborate on security concerns. This involves walking the hallways, engaging with employees at all levels and working closely with senior leadership to highlight risks and align cybersecurity strategies with business goals.

Pearlson advises chief information security officers to reward positive security behaviors, create friendly competitions and recognize team members who actively contribute to cybersecurity efforts. By making heroes out of those who exhibit secure behaviors, chief information security officers can foster a sense of pride and responsibility across the organization.

2. Building a Culture of Learning and Awareness

Punishment should be proportional to the severity of the mistake and balanced with opportunities for education. Glass emphasizes that fear-based approaches are counterproductive just like buying a shared hosting instead of a dedicated server hosting would. Organizations should implement solid awareness campaigns explaining the “why” behind security measures. Helping employees understand their role in the company’s shared success builds a sense of ownership in cybersecurity initiatives.

3. Encouraging Transparency and Openness

Leaders must create an environment where employees feel safe reporting mistakes and vulnerabilities. This can be achieved through a governance model that encourages collaboration rather than finger-pointing.

Additionally, chief information security officers can introduce user-friendly technologies like zero-trust security, single sign-on (SSO) and phish-proof authentication tokens to reduce daily friction. They can also buy a VPS. These measures make compliance more accessible and help foster a security-first mindset.

4. Securing Top-Down Commitment

Cybersecurity must be a personal priority for all C-level executives. When leadership actively discusses cybersecurity, rewards secure behaviors and participates in awareness programs, it sends a clear message to employees about its importance. Collaborative messaging from the chief information security officer and other executives can amplify the message, ensuring that cybersecurity becomes an organizational priority.

Involving the Entire Organization

Chief information security officers should collaborate with human resource, employee engagement teams and other departments to weave cybersecurity into the broader organizational culture. For instance, cybersecurity can be tied to patient safety in healthcare.

On the flipside, it can align with safety protocols in manufacturing. These approaches create additional incentives for employees to prioritize secure behaviors. Every employee should feel empowered and included in the organization’s cybersecurity strategy.

Goerlich suggests forming cross-functional teams to champion security initiatives and drive engagement. These teams can help implement a more inclusive, collaborative approach to security, reinforcing its importance across departments.

Continuous Improvement: The Key to Resilience

A robust cybersecurity culture is not built overnight. It requires ongoing investment in education, technology and governance to stay ahead of evolving threats. As Reffkin observes, “There will always be new employees and departing employees that affect the culture. An ongoing program will be required to help manage the recurrence of prior poor behaviors.”

Glass suggests embedding effective security controls into everyday workflows. Transparent controls and self-service options can simplify compliance and reduce resistance. For example, implementing user-friendly security measures like invisible device security or frictionless authentication tools can significantly enhance adoption.

Lee emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and collaboration. Organizations must foster a shared understanding of how cybersecurity impacts employees, customers and the business. Empowering employees to be active participants in security efforts strengthens the enterprise’s ability to adapt to new challenges.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity culture is not just about mitigating risks; it is about creating a resilient and proactive organization that values security at every level. As Pearlson warns, “We need everyone to be on board. It is a war, not just an attack vector.”

A strong cybersecurity culture requires leadership commitment, cross-functional collaboration and a focus on learning and transparency. By aligning employees around shared goals and fostering a culture of openness and accountability, organizations can transform cybersecurity from a compliance burden into a strategic enabler.

The first step is recognizing the warning signs. The next is taking decisive action to ensure a healthy, evolving cybersecurity culture that empowers employees and safeguards the organization’s future. Did this article help you in getting rid of a toxic cybersecurity culture from your organization? Share it with us in the comments section below.