Users are cybersecurity's Achilles heel.

• Position: CYBERSECURITY

A recent study released by MeriTalk shows that U.S. federal agency cybersecurity professionals have become so focused on data security they fail to consider how the security measures will affect users. As a result, nearly a third (31%) of agency users said they use workarounds regularly to circumvent security measures they say are time consuming and hinder productivity. That explains why about half (49%) of federal security breaches are blamed on user noncompliance.

The survey found that very few federal cybersecurity professionals feel prepared for cyber threats. Nearly three-quarters (74%) said they are not prepared for an inter national cyber attack or to support secure access for mobile devices. Almost as many (70%) said they are not prepared for a denial-of-service attack or to secure cloud computing environments.

The activities that cybersecurity professionals said are the most likely to cause a security breach are the same activities in which end users encounter the most frustrating security measures: surfing the Internet, downloading files, accessing networks, and transferring files. E-mail, external websites, and Internet access via agency...