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Dr. Rick van der Kleij is an Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologist and human factors specialist with an interest in cybersecurity. Human factors is a sub-discipline of psychology that links human behavior to engineering and elements of computer science to develop a holistic approach to risk. In his opinion, cybersecurity must go far beyond implementing new technology. It requires a holistic approach that also considers people, processes, and culture. By focusing on all these critical aspects, organizations can better protect themselves from cyber threats and minimize their potential impact. Hence, cybersecurity is more than just technology and defensive IT support. It’s a holistic and human-centered approach that should empower employees to take the issue seriously and ensure that digital security is built into the fabric of organizations. Human-centered cybersecurity starts with understanding humans and their interaction with technologies, controls and data. By discovering how and when humans 'touch' data throughout the working day, organizations can uncover the circumstances where psychological-related vulnerabilities may lead to security incidents. Rick works as a professor at Avans University of Applied Sciences and as a senior cybersecurity researcher and consultant at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Rick’s lines of work have been described in more than 100 articles, technical reports, and book chapters, including several peer-reviewed high-impact articles in Computers & Security. See List of publications

Miscellaneous

Lectorale rede 'Nu veiligheid er niet meer is' - Uitgesproken op 8 mei 2025 - bladerbare pdf versie: PDF.

De term cybersecurity mag het raam uit. Lector Rick van der Kleij laat er geen misverstanden over bestaan: we zíjn niet veilig.
Binnenlands Bestuur. 11 april 2025. Door Marjolein van Trigt.

Cyberveiliger door praktijkgericht onderzoek. Blogbijdrage Dutch IT Leaders. 12 november 2024. https://www.dutchitleaders.nl/blog/514186/cyberveiliger-door-praktijkgericht-onderzoek

Avans Hogeschool treedt toe tot consortium. Cyberweerbaar NL. Dubbelinterview Rick van der Kleij en Rutger Leukfeldt. Op 1 oktober 2024.

'Wetenschappelijk onderzoek van groot belang voor cyberweerbaarheid'. 19 november 2024. Dutch IT Channel. Video Interview met Rick van der Kleij op Dutch IT Security Day.

Een groot digitaal dilemma. Blogbijdrage Dutch IT Leaders. 25 maart 2025. https://www.dutchitleaders.nl/blog/602642/een-groot-digitaal-dilemma

Blogbijdrage Dutch IT Leaders. "Om technische producten cyberveilig te maken, is een cultuurverandering nodig." 2024, 3 juni. https://www.dutchitleaders.nl/blog/458433/om-technische-producten-cyberveilig-te-maken-is-een-cultuurverandering-nodig

Blogbijdrage Dutch IT Leaders. "Mens als zwakke schakel? Fouten maken mag!" 2024, 4 maart. https://www.dutchitleaders.nl/blog/424598/fouten-maken-mag

Rick van der Kleij over cyberweerbare organisaties: “Cybersecurity is meer dan technologie alleen”. Interview door Betty Rombout. Security Management. Februari 2024. [PDF]

"Avans verwelkomt Rick van der Kleij als nieuwe lector Cyberweerbare Organisaties" 2023, 24 november. Avans Hogeschool.

"Cybersecurity is meer dan technologie alleen". Interview met Rick van der Kleij. Door Betty Rombout. Security Management, jaargang 46, #3, juni 2023. 16-18 [PDF]

The Security Behaviour Coach: Empowering Cybersecurity through People-Oriented Design. ONE magazine 2023: https://emagazine.one-conference.nl/2023/the-security-behaviour-coach/

TEDTalk at NLSecure[ID] (in Dutch) 24/01/2023: Het is tijd voor security awareness nieuwe stijl. https://youtu.be/ScgVOD2F5dg

Speaker at #CSX 2022: Rick van der Kleij - Cyber Security Experience (heliview.nl)

Interview in IB Magazine (in Dutch)(2022): Ongestructureerde data beveiligen: onderzoek naar dit hoofdpijndossier voor menig CISO [PDF]

Whitepaper (January 3, 2022), Protecting unstructured data – challenges and opportunities of automated labelling | News (pcsi.nl)

Podcast Infosequre (04012021): Ons cybergedrag is veel onveiliger dan we zelf denken. https://share.transistor.fm/s/f757f2f4

Hoe veilig gedragen wij ons online? Een studie naar de samenhang tussen kennis, gelegenheid, motivatie
en online gedrag van Nederlanders (2020). In opdracht van het WODC door Susanne van ’t Hoff-de Goede, Rick van der Kleij, Steve van de Weijer, en Rutger Leukfeldt. https://www.wodc.nl/binaries/2975_Volledige_Tekst_tcm28-421151.pdf

Hoe cyberweerbaar zijn mkb-retailers in de regio Den Haag? bekijk de infographic (2019): https://www.dehaagsehogeschool.nl/docs/default-source/documenten-onderzoek/lectoraten/cybersecurity-in-het-mkb/cyberweerbaarheid-mkb.pdf

Download DISSERTATION (2007) @ UvA DARE (Digital Academic Repository)(Dissertation Online)