usecure Blog

Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025: Why Human Risk Still Matters

Written by Kerryn Zendera | 30 September 2025 23:00

Every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) puts a spotlight on the role people play in keeping businesses, families, and communities safe. This year’s theme — Stay Safe Online — might sound simple, but in today’s threat landscape, it’s anything but.

Cybercrime is no longer background noise. It’s one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, projected to cost organisations more than $10.5 trillion annually by 2025 (Cybersecurity Ventures). From AI-powered phishing emails to deepfake scams, today’s attacks are faster, more convincing, and harder to detect than ever. And in nearly 95% of incidents, human error is the root cause (Verizon DBIR).

The Human Risk Landscape in 2025

  • AI as a weapon: Generative AI has made phishing, voice cloning, and fake websites nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

  • Work without borders: Hybrid work and cloud-first tools mean personal and professional data are constantly on the move — and often exposed.

  • Compliance pressure: Laws like NIS2, DORA, CCPA, and evolving global privacy regulations are raising the stakes for organisations of all sizes.

  • Small steps, big impact: Most breaches don’t start with zero-day exploits. They start with a misplaced click, a reused password, or an overlooked update.

Why CSAM Still Matters

Some leaders dismiss annual awareness campaigns as surface-level. But research shows otherwise: organisations that commit to ongoing awareness and behaviour change report up to an 80% reduction in phishing susceptibility.

CSAM provides a focal point — a chance to:

  • Refresh training and reinforce key lessons.

  • Re-engage staff who may have become complacent.

  • Show leadership and regulators that you’re serious about managing human cyber risk.

It’s not a checkbox. It’s a catalyst.

Your Free CSAM 2025 Resource Kit

To help businesses and partners take action this October, we’ve put together a free Cybersecurity Awareness Calendar and resource kit that includes:

  • 🎥 Training videos — including Rob’s Deepfake Disaster and Josie & Rob’s Quishing Conundrum.

  • 📄 Whitepapers on reducing human cyber risk (available in EN, FR, DE, ES).

  • 📣 MSP playbooks, email templates, and weekly social posts to power client campaigns.

  • 🖼️ Posters, infographics, and desktop reminders to keep security top of mind.

👉 Explore the full CSAM 2025 Resource Hub here.

The reality is this: attackers don’t wait for October, and they don’t stop at your firewalls. They target people — your staff, your partners, even your customers. That’s why security awareness isn’t just a campaign. It’s a culture.

CSAM 2025 is your chance to build that culture — and reduce human risk where it matters most.

👉 Download your free CSAM 2025 Resource Kit and start turning awareness into measurable risk reduction.