Human error in cybersecurity is any unintentional action, or failure to act, by an employee that exposes an organization to a security incident, such as clicking a phishing link, reusing a password, misconfiguring a system, or sending data to the wrong person. It is involved in most breaches: Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found a human element in 62% of breaches. The fix is a combination of security culture, regular training, multi-factor authentication, and technology that catches mistakes before they become breaches.
Below: current statistics, the types of human error, the most common mistakes in business, what causes them, and the best practices that reduce them.
How Much of Cybersecurity Risk Comes from Human Error?
A lot. You may have seen the old claim that “95% of breaches are caused by human error,” which traces back to a 2014 IBM report. Current data is more precise, and still sobering.
Eye-Opening Stats About Human Error in Cyber Security
- 62% of breaches involved a non-malicious human element, such as falling for social engineering or making an error, up slightly from 60% the year before (Verizon 2026 DBIR).
- Phishing was the initial access vector in 20% of breaches and credential abuse in 15%, while exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities led at 22% (Verizon 2026 DBIR executive summary).
- Mobile-centric phishing works better: in simulations, median click rates for voice and text lures were 40% higher than for email (Verizon 2026 DBIR).
- $4.99 million is the global average cost of a data breach, a record, and $11.5 million in the U.S. (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026).
- One in four malicious breaches was AI-enabled, a 56% increase, as attackers use AI to write more convincing phishing at scale (IBM, July 2026).
- $3.05 billion in reported losses came from business email compromise in 2025, out of $20.9 billion in total internet crime losses reported to the FBI (FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report).
The takeaway: attackers target people because people are the easiest path in, and AI is making their lures harder to spot.
What Is Considered a Human Error in Cyber Security?
Human error is any unintentional action, or lack of action, by an employee that compromises cybersecurity. It falls into two categories.
Skill-Based Errors
Skill-based errors happen when someone knows the right thing to do but slips, usually from a lapse in attention, fatigue, or rushing. Examples: clicking a pop-up without reading it, attaching the wrong file, or autocompleting the wrong email address.
Decision-Based Errors
Decision-based errors happen when someone makes a poor choice because of missing knowledge, unclear policy, or bad judgment. Examples: postponing an update because “it’s too soon,” approving an unusual payment request without verifying it, or sharing a password with a coworker to save time.
Common Cybersecurity IT Errors in Business
Incorrectly Sending Sensitive Information
A mistyped address or wrong autocomplete suggestion can send confidential data to the wrong recipient, creating a reportable breach in regulated industries.
Mishandling Passwords
Weak, reused, shared, or written-down passwords give attackers easy access. Once one password is compromised, attackers try it everywhere, which is why credential abuse remains a top breach vector.
Neglecting to Update or Patch Systems
Delaying updates leaves known vulnerabilities open. With exploitation of vulnerabilities now the leading initial access vector in the Verizon DBIR, patching delays are among the costliest mistakes.
Misconfiguring Systems and Cloud Services
Leaving a storage bucket public, a firewall rule open, or default credentials on a device exposes data without any attacker effort.
Working Remotely from Insecure Networks
Public Wi-Fi and unmanaged home networks expose traffic and devices. Require VPN or zero-trust access, and keep company devices managed and patched.
Clicking on Malicious Emails, Texts, and Calls (Phishing)
Phishing, smishing (text), and vishing (voice) trick employees into sharing credentials, approving MFA prompts, or installing malware. Pretexting, where an attacker builds a believable story, often over the phone, is a growing path to ransomware.
Neglecting Physical Security
Unattended laptops, unlocked screens, tailgating into secure areas, and unsecured paper records can all lead to breaches. Physical and cyber security work best together; see what security convergence is and why it matters.
What Causes Human Error?
Opportunity
When safeguards are missing, small mistakes become big incidents. No MFA, excessive user permissions, or unencrypted data create easy openings for attackers.
Environment
Stress, distraction, and disorganization increase mistakes. Overloaded employees are more likely to skip protocols, misconfigure settings, or fall for urgent-sounding scams.
Lack of Awareness
Employees who do not know what a modern phishing attempt looks like, or why a policy exists, are more likely to make errors. Awareness is a skill that must be refreshed as threats change.
Human Error and IT Security Best Practices
Create a Strong Security Culture
Culture starts with leadership. When executives follow security practices, communicate why they matter, and reward people for reporting mistakes and suspicious messages, employees follow. A no-blame reporting culture gets incidents reported in minutes instead of days.
Regular Employee Training
Run short, frequent, interactive training and phishing simulations, including text and voice scenarios. Cover phishing and pretexting recognition, password managers, safe data handling, and how to verify payment or credential requests.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA requires two or more factors (something you know, have, or are), so a stolen password alone is not enough. Prefer phishing-resistant methods such as passkeys or FIDO2 security keys for administrators and finance staff, and enable number matching to stop MFA fatigue attacks.
Apply Least Privilege and Patch Automatically
Limit user permissions to what each role needs, remove local admin rights, and automate patching for operating systems and applications so updates do not depend on individual decisions.
Continuous Systems Testing and Monitoring
Regular vulnerability scans, penetration tests, and security audits find weaknesses before attackers do. Real-time monitoring with a security operations center (SOC) and SIEM detects suspicious activity quickly, and a tested incident response plan limits damage.
Leverage Technology to Detect and Prevent Errors
Email security filters, endpoint detection and response, data loss prevention (DLP), and automated configuration checks catch many mistakes automatically. Automation enforces policy consistently and frees IT staff for strategic work.
Ready to Reduce Human Error in Your Organization?
Reducing human error requires education, technology, and a supportive culture working together. BTI Communications Group has been in business for 40 years and helps organizations build all three, from security awareness training and phishing simulations to MFA rollouts, 24/7 monitoring with enterprise-grade security partners, and incident response planning. Explore our cybersecurity services Los Angeles, or let our managed IT services Los Angeles team handle patching and monitoring for you. New to the topic? Start with what cybersecurity is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of breaches involve human error?
Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found a non-malicious human element, such as social engineering or mistakes, in 62% of breaches.
What are examples of human error in cybersecurity?
Clicking phishing links, reusing weak passwords, delaying patches, misconfiguring cloud services, sending data to the wrong recipient, and leaving devices unattended.
How can companies reduce human error in cybersecurity?
Build a no-blame security culture, run regular training and phishing simulations, enforce MFA and least privilege, automate patching, and use monitoring and data loss prevention tools.
Is the 95% human error statistic accurate?
It comes from a 2014 IBM report and is outdated. Current Verizon data puts the human element at about 60 to 62% of breaches.
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