At Ghost Shift, where we specialise in cyber effects operations, understanding human behaviour isn’t just a strategic advantage—it’s essential. To predict and influence how people make decisions online, we dive deep into the ways people react to stimuli. Whether it’s fear, urgency, or the persuasive power of authority, humans are wired to take mental shortcuts. And in the world of cyber operations, those shortcuts can be a offensive opportunity or a defensive weakness.
Primitive Thinking: Your Brain on Autopilot
Humans like to think of themselves as rational beings, but a lot of our decision-making still boils down to primal instincts. Encounter a stimulus—whether it’s a sudden noise, a strange email, or a too-good-to-be-true offer—and your brain instantly switches to survival mode. This type of fast, instinctive thinking (known as *System 1* in psychology) is an ancient part of our wiring, designed to help us react quickly to threats.
In the past, this was helpful when our ancestors needed to flee from predators. These days, the same reaction might lead you to click on a phishing link faster than you’d like to admit. It’s the modern-day equivalent of running away from a sabre-toothed tiger—except now the danger lives in your inbox, disguised as a “suspicious login” email.
Genetic Disposition: Hard-Wired to Respond
While our surroundings have changed, some of our responses haven’t. Evolution has programmed us to react to certain stimuli—particularly anything that seems threatening or urgent. It’s the same reason why we’ll instinctively focus on that scary-sounding email warning us that “Your account will be suspended in 24 hours!” The panic button gets pressed, and before you know it, you’re clicking without a second thought.
Cyber infuence specialists know this about you. They rely on the fact that when faced with a perceived threat, your brain’s more likely to react instinctively rather than rationally. This is why urgency works so well in phishing emails—it bypasses logic and triggers the deep-rooted need to protect what’s ours, even if that’s just an online account.
Stimuli and Cyber Effects Operations: Pulling the Right Strings
Understanding how stimuli affect decision-making is critical in cyber effects operations. The goal is often to create situations where certain stimuli—like fear or urgency —trigger predictable reactions. Cyber attackers thrive on this, crafting digital environments that make you react before you have a chance to think.
Take disinformation campaigns. By using fear-driven or emotionally charged information, attackers can manipulate public sentiment and prompt irrational responses on a large scale. Humans are wired to respond more strongly to emotions than cold facts, which is why emotionally charged stimuli can shape opinions faster than any well-reasoned argument.
The same goes for authority bias. Our ancient survival instinct tells us to trust authority figures—a handy trait when you’re part of a tribe, but less useful when it leads you to trust a cleverly disguised phishing email from “HR.” One glance at that seemingly official message, and suddenly, you’re downloading malware before realising it’s not quite what it seems.
The challenge (or opportunity) with primitive thinking in the digital world is that it often works against us. While it was designed to keep us safe in the wilderness, in today’s landscape, it can make humans vulnerable to the masked intentions of others. Influence specialists such as those at Ghost Shift depend on the fact that many of us don’t stop to think when faced with something urgent or alarming.
Implications for Cyber Operations and Defence: Outsmarting Your Instincts
To succeed in cyber operations, or to defend against them, understanding these human vulnerabilities is crucial. The stimuli that trigger fast, instinctive decision-making can be used to manipulate behaviour, whether that’s through fear, urgency, or authority.
For defenders, it’s about teaching people to engage their slower, more rational thinking when faced with emotionally charged situations. A pause before clicking on that suspicious link can make all the difference. The trick is training people to resist their primal instincts—at least long enough to avoid falling for a cyber trap.
For attackers, it’s all about finding the right moment to deploy these stimuli. By targeting human vulnerabilities at just the right time, they can manipulate behaviours and cause significant disruptions.
Conclusion
At Ghost Shift, we know that cyber effects operations are as much about understanding human psychology as they are about technical expertise. By leveraging insights into how people react to stimuli—whether it’s driven by fear, urgency, or authority—we can predict and influence decision-making in the online world. Whether you’re on the defensive or the offensive, understanding the primitive thinking that drives human behaviour can be the key to success.
So next time you’re tempted to react quickly to an urgent email, remember: it’s not always a hungry predator. Sometimes, it’s just your brain playing tricks on you..
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