Why Cyber Security Protection Is Needed
Sprinter Cybersecurity
Why Cyber Security Protection Is Needed
March 26, 2026 -By Stephen Mariahazy, Sprinter vCIO
Difficulty by design. Principle of least privilege. Harden the target. These may sound like technical ideas, but they apply just as much to everyday life as they do to business. We have all had to click a link in an email from a bank because we logged in on a new computer. We have all had to enter a verification code to prove we are who we say we are. And yes, most of us have complained about how annoying it feels to jump through these hoops just to do simple tasks. Yet at the same time, people have money stolen from their bank accounts or find their email hacked, and the first question is almost always: “Why did this happen to me?” The real answer is simple: because it was easy. Not just for you, but for anyone.
The moment we shift our mindset from “I need to do my work” to “I need to do what I need to do securely,” those minor inconveniences become far more acceptable. A small friction point now can prevent a major problem later. Strong security is not about perfection. It is about being harder to compromise than the next target.
Here are some interesting facts that highlight why cybersecurity matters more than we often realize:
An albatross can lock its wings and soar while half of its brain sleeps.
It takes a computer about 28 seconds to break an 8-digit password made of only upper- and lower-case letters.
The same computer would need roughly 17,000 years to break a password with the same complexity, but 14 characters long.
The most common entry point for a bad actor is an employee letting someone in, intentionally or not.
There is a high likelihood (about 87 percent) that your employees have administrator access on their computers without realizing it.
If you find a debit card and have 3 chances to guess the PIN, you will get it right almost 12 percent of the time by trying 1111, 0000 and 1234.
If you know the person’s birthday, the success rate jumps to 23 percent by replacing the 1111.
The Venn diagram of people who know common PIN usage and people who know how to misuse administrator access is almost a perfect circle.
The original Coca Cola was green.
The idea behind “harden the target” is not about creating flawless security. It is about being more difficult to compromise than the next place so attackers move on.
Cybersecurity does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be intentional. The goal is to reduce risk, increase resilience and make sure your organization is never the easiest option for a bad actor. A little friction now is far better than the fallout of an incident later.
Want to talk more about cybersecurity and how Sprinter can help ensure you are on track? Set up a free consultation now or give us a call now at (715) 551-6464. We look forward to speaking with you.
