You don’t install cybersecurity, you train it
AI developments make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake. A deepfake, for instance, can be used to impersonate your boss asking you to make a transfer during a video call. Do you think you would notice? In this new episode, we chat with Banco de España experts about the different ways in which the public’s and firms’ cybersecurity can be at risk and about what measures can be taken to protect against digital attacks.
12/11/2025
“The weakest link is always the one between a chair and a keyboard. Us, the users"
Why is cybersecurity so important? What can we do to ensure that our digital life is as safe as our physical life?
While accessibility to artificial intelligence tools helps us in our day-to-day tasks, it also helps cyber criminals who use these new technologies fraudulently. It is essential for us to be aware of the possibilities and risks of the digital world, and to learn how to prevent and defend ourselves from such attacks.
Mariano González, head of information security at the Banco de España is clear: “Technology is never going to be a threat. What is a threat is its potential fraudulent use.”
Just as we learn from a young age to protect ourselves form the dangers of the physical world, so we need to know about protection mechanisms against digital threats, especially those designed to safeguard our data. Digital hygiene is important to protect our data. It helps us create robust passwords, use two-factor authentication and be aware of the permissions we give to applications.
As the digital world is increasingly present in our lives, many of the things we use on a daily basis, such as smartphones and chatbots, can be sources of data leaks for cyber criminals. Although it may seem impossible to be totally cyber safe, the Bank’s specialist in security awareness, Carmen Bacaicoa, shows us that simple actions can help us avoid compromising our personal data.
Aside from taking precautions at a personal level, banks and firms also need digital protection measures. Irene Álvarez, our risk management specialist, explains how they work to safeguard cybersecurity not only for the Bank, but also for the financial system and, accordingly, for the general public.
In an interconnected world, digital security depends not only on us, but also on the actions of those around us. Hence, protecting ourselves is a way of protecting everyone else. The main risk factor? Our ego. Being alert is the best form of protection.
With this episode, we are launching CIENxCIEN+, which has additional content on family cybersecurity. Don’t miss it.
Acknowledgments
We thank our colleague Alfonso Sánchez Valdeolivas for his technical and creative work in creating the deepfakes shown in the video-podcast. Working with him has been very instructive and fun.
