“Cybersecurity awareness fails when culture fails first. Fix the culture, and people will follow.”

By Veerle Peeters – Cyber Awareness Expert & Strategic growth at Phantom’sLab.
Written: November, 20, 2025
Last update: January, 13, 2026

WHEN LEADERSHIP STAYS SILENT, CULTURE SUFFERS.

In 2017, Equifax, one of the largest credit bureaus in the US, suffered a data breach exposing the personal data of 147 million people. But the breach was not just technical. It was cultural.

Internal reports showed that patch management had failed, communication between departments was broken, and leadership downplayed the urgency. The result? A 650 million dollar settlement, global outrage, and irreparable brand damage.

Who is responsible?

This was not a failure of knowledge. It was a failure of ownership. Leadership did not just miss a threat. They missed their role in creating a security first culture. When leaders go quiet, security turns into a checklist. Teams stop reporting mistakes. Best practices become blurred. And when a crisis hits, no one knows who is responsible.

“In cybersecurity, culture isn’t a slogan. It’s your last line of defense.”

Cybersecurity isn’t about information. It’s about reaction.

At Phantom’sLab, we don’t just inform. We train reflexes. Our scenarios aren’t built to be read. They’re built to be felt.

Imagine hearing your CEO’s voice asking for a transfer. Seeing a deepfake video that looks just real enough. Or spotting a login prompt you swear you’ve seen before.

Train for pressure. Not perfection.

Cyber attackers don’t send warnings. They send stress. And under stress, your team won’t remember a checklist. They’ll rely on instinct. That is why our game based approach simulates the pressure of real world attacks. So your people learn not just what to do, but when it matters most.

Strong cybersecurity starts at the top

Phishing falls sharply

Awareness through experience works. Organizations using immersive training see phishing click rates drop between 40 and 60 percent within months.

Reporting rises fast

When teams feel safe to speak up, they do. Engaged cultures show an increase in incident reporting of 50 to 70 percent, turning silence into signal.

Follow-through that sticks

Knowledge is not enough. When people understand why security matters, they apply it. Engagement drives sustainable behavior change that checklists never could.

Let’s explore how strong leadership can become your greatest defense.

Culture follows leadership. And leadership starts with action.

Leadership is not a checklist. It is the spark that ignites a culture. In real incidents there is no pause button. No safety net. Only decisions. That is why our solutions are built to simulate the pressure, the pace and the shared responsibility of leading through risk. Not just training, but transformation.

HOW STRONG CULTURES ARE BUILT

  • Phantom’s Game builds awareness through pressure. You and your team step into the hacker’s shoes to breach your own company. It sharpens instinct, reveals blind spots and turns defense into shared urgency.
  • Phantom’s E-learning supports both awareness and behavior change. With story based learning, practical frameworks and real life context, knowledge turns into confident action.
  • Phantom’s Entertainment strengthens culture across all layers. Shared missions, interactive events and ongoing campaigns turn awareness into ownership and teams into allies.
Cybersecurity awareness, behavior change and culture | Phantom'sLab

“Tired of borig modules? Your team is too.”

Veerle Peeters - Cybersecurity Awareness | Phantom'sLab

Two decades of breaches. One lesson that changed everything.

This blog is written by Veerle Peeters, Cyber Awareness Expert at Phantom’slab. After 20 years investigating fraud and security breaches at PwC and Deloitte, she uncovered a deeper truth. People do not fail security because they lack knowledge. They fail when no one leads with example.

  • When leaders lead with clarity, teams respond with action.
  • When leaders speak up, people stop hiding mistakes.
  • When leadership becomes visible, security becomes personal.

Today, Veerle helps organizations shift from blame to behavior and from silence to shared responsibility. Because when leaders change the tone, people change their behavior. And that changes everything.

“I used to think I was catching ‘bad actors’. Turns out they were good people stuck in broken security cultures.”

Check out our other written blogs

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What is the effectiveness of gamification in cybersecurity?

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What is the best cybersecurity training?

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How does human behavior make the difference between risk and resilience in cybersecurity?

Coming soon.

Why do most campaigns faul to change behavior in cybersecurity?

Coming soon.

How can organizations turn cybersecurity awareness into daily habits?

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Build a culture that doesn’t crack under pressure

Rules can create order. But only culture creates loyalty. When pressure hits, your team won’t follow a checklist. They’ll follow your lead. We help you build those values into your training and your leadership.