Keynote – Mind Over Machine, Cyber Psychology

Hybrid identity environments sit at the critical intersection of technology and human behavior. Yet the human dimension—how users perceive, trust, and interact with authentication systems—remains the most exploited and arguably least understood aspect of active cyber defense. This keynote will examine the cyber psychological challenges of securing hybrid identity in an era of AI-driven threats. Nation-state and cybercriminal threat actors increasingly leverage AI/ML to deliver hyper-personalized phishing and advanced social engineering attacks. These campaigns succeed not through technical sophistication alone, but by exploiting human error, cognitive biases, decision fatigue, and fragile trust dynamics within identity workflows. Drawing on research in cyberpsychology and human factors in cybersecurity, Prof. Aiken will explore how defenders can anticipate and counter these strategies. Hybrid identity environments are not only technical infrastructures, they are also profoundly psychological ecosystems where success depends on trust, fairness, cognitive ease, cultural acceptance and compliance. From innovations in biometric-based authentication to addressing security fatigue, learned helplessness, and behavioral monitoring anxiety, the challenge ahead is clear: to design identity systems that are not just technically resilient, but also psychologically robust against the next wave of AI-enhanced adversaries.