You trust your team. And why wouldn’t you? They’re smart. They’re capable. They’ve heard all about phishing scams. They know not to click strange links or open mystery attachments.
At least, they think they know. …And therein lies the real danger.
That gap between confidence and reality isn’t just a coincidence.
When someone feels completely sure they can spot a phishing attempt, they often stop paying close attention. As a result, they skip small safety steps. And that’s exactly what cybercriminals count on.
Think about this: studies show that 86 percent of employees believe they can confidently identify phishing emails. Yet, despite that confidence, over half have fallen for one at some point.
Clearly, that gap between confidence and reality isn’t just a coincidence. Instead, it’s a warning sign.
These days, phishing attacks aren’t easy to spot. Criminals have moved well beyond poorly written emails from suspicious senders. Now, they send messages that look like they came from your bank, your software provider, or even someone inside your company.
Because these scams are designed to appear trustworthy, overconfident employees are often the first to fall for them. They don’t expect it, so they don’t check carefully.
In cybersecurity, confidence without caution is a recipe for trouble.
Why confidence works against you
When people feel certain they won’t be fooled, they stop questioning what they see. As a result, they fall into dangerous habits.
This mindset closely aligns with a well-known psychological principle called the Dunning-Kruger effect. It explains how people with just enough knowledge tend to overestimate their skills. In cybersecurity, that creates a real risk.
Take a simple email, for example. It looks like a password reset request from your email provider. If someone feels sure they’d never get tricked, they might click without thinking. They won’t verify the sender. They won’t hover over the link. Instead, they’ll assume everything is fine.
Unfortunately, those small assumptions often lead to big consequences.
This kind of false confidence is what lets attackers slip through the cracks. When someone feels invincible, they’re less likely to ask questions, slow down, or double-check what’s in front of them.
That’s exactly how malware gets in and how login credentials get handed over.
It’s not that people are careless. Rather, they trust themselves a little too much, and the threats they’re facing are much more convincing than they used to be.
What actually works: mindset and training
The good news? You can fix this. But it starts by changing the way your team thinks about threats.
Rather than assuming everyone knows how to avoid phishing scams, start with phishing awareness training. Make it a regular habit. The goal isn’t to create fear. Instead, it’s to build muscle memory so your team pauses before they click, even when something looks normal.
Training is only the first step, though.
It’s just as important to create a culture where people feel safe reporting mistakes or asking questions. If someone accidentally clicks something suspicious, you want them to raise their hand, not stay quiet. If they hesitate because they’re worried about getting in trouble, that delay could cost your business time, money, and trust.
Over time, when people feel informed and supported, they become your first line of defense. They’ll start catching scams early and keeping threats from spreading further.
Being tech-savvy isn’t enough
Even the sharpest employee can fall for the right scam. That’s because good phishing emails don’t look dangerous. They look normal. Sometimes, they even look helpful.
This is exactly why smart companies don’t rely on guesswork. They use training, layered security tools, and clear internal processes to help people make better choices before the damage is done.
The truth is, cyberattacks don’t always happen because someone was being careless. Often, they happen because someone assumed they knew better. That kind of thinking is exactly what today’s attackers are counting on.
To stay safe, assume every message could be a trick. Look twice. Ask when in doubt. And build a team that stays cautious, not just confident.
The moment someone says, “that could never happen to me,” is usually the moment it does.
Helping you trust your network. Book a call, let’s discuss how we can help you.
Serving Southwest Oklahoma and surrounding areas.
