Page 20 - EngineerIT June July Issue 2026

CYBERSECURITY

Grandma’s advice for

World Password Day:

Trusting actions over

words ends up being

very high-tech

he rise of AI-driven cyber threats Grandmother’s logic in a digital world
hasn't rendered passwords To navigate the new era of deepfakes and AI clones, Collard suggests
Tobsolete, but it has highlighted the returning to a surprisingly low-tech source of wisdom. "Grandma would
critical need for multi-layered defence- always tell you to trust actions over words," she says. "That advice is
in-depth to protect user accounts. We surprisingly apt in modern cybersecurity. It is the shift from asking 'What do
need to talk less about static credentials you know?' to 'Who are you being?'
and look at the deeper concept of
identity integrity – basically the digital “Consider how you recognise a loved one on the phone,” Collard highlights.
equivalent of the age-old principle of “You don’t just rely on the sound of their voice – which AI can now clone
trusting what someone does rather than with terrifying accuracy – but on their cadence, their specific vocabulary,
just what they say, notes Anna Collard, and your shared history.” If the person on the other end sounds right but
SVP content strategy & CISO advisor for speaks with an unfamiliar rhythm or lacks context, your behavioural alarm
KnowBe4 Africa. bells should ring.

“The password isn’t dead, but the The reCaptcha evolution
industry has moved toward a ‘Zero This concept of monitoring behaviour to verify identity is one that many
Trust’ model where a single set of people already interact with, albeit in quite a basic form. "Most users
credentials isn’t sufficient to grant are familiar with reCaptcha prompts – those website tasks asking you
access anymore,” says Collard. She to identify things like traffic lights or buses," says Collard. "While we think
points out that most modern breaches we’re proving our humanity by identifying photos, the system is actually
don’t involve sophisticated technical watching the micro-movements of the mouse just as closely. The advent
hacking, but rather the exploitation of of reCaptcha pioneered using behavioural aspects to distinguish humans
exposed credentials. “Criminals obtain from bots, and modern behavioural telemetry is the sophisticated evolution
passwords through phishing or data of that principle."
leaks and simply log in as the user.
They rely on the fact that your digital By moving from a single point of entry to a continuous stream of
'words' – your credentials – are static verification, organisations can ensure that trust is earned through every
and easily stolen.” interaction, not just at the initial login.

Behavioural telemetry: The new signal of trust
By using technical signals – such as how a person types (keystroke
dynamics), their typical work hours, and unique navigation patterns –
organisations can verify identity in real-time. This behavioural telemetry
creates a digital fingerprint derived from a user’s unique cognitive-motor
pathways, making it significantly harder for automated bots or human
adversaries to replicate.

By Anna Collard, SVP content strategy & CISO advisor for KnowBe4 Africa

20 | EngineerIT June/July 2026