The Myth of Security Culture: Why Belief Isn’t Behavior

2025-10-10

Every year, a new survey claims that “security culture is improving” in the public sector—everyone’s more aware, more engaged, more on-message. Posters go up, inspirational emails are sent, workshops are rolled out. Yet if you peel back the layers, the story on the ground is always less rosy: people know what they’re supposed to say about security, but when pressure hits or convenience is at stake, old habits resurface.

Here’s the uncomfortable bit most don’t want to admit: Belief isn’t the same as behavior. You can get staff to nod along at town halls, ace the quizzes, even champion secure practices in theory. But when deadlines collide with clunky systems, or job survival means getting something done quickly, security slides—sometimes quietly, often completely.

For future CISOs wanting lasting impact, focus has to shift from converting belief to changing the environment. Systems, incentives, and processes should make the secure path the easy, default path. Make it seamless for staff to report risks, get help, and follow policy without friction. It’s not about passion or dogma; it’s about redesigning work to lower the effort required for secure actions.

Top-performing agencies build security into everyday operations—not because everyone is a true believer, but because they’ve architected their environment to nudge and support behavior that lowers risk. If your program relies on goodwill alone, it’s living on borrowed time.

The next time senior leadership celebrates “strong security culture,” take a closer look at everyday choices. If the environment sets people up to fail, the speeches and slogans don’t mean much. CISOs who want the real wins aren’t looking for believers—they’re building systems where doing the right thing is simply the easiest option.