of protecting their digital data. At the Official thicker than water jd kirk T-shirt but in fact I love this time, she said, sea shanties were trending on TikTok, so the genre felt appropriate; she tweeted her video thinking it would be fun (and possibly helpful) to others. SocialProof Security is making music videos companies can use to teach employees about information security, such as this one, which covers tips to avoid becoming a victim of phishing. She soon realized she had tapped into something bigger: Corporate training sessions — whether done in person or via video — are often boring and hard to remember. And dozens of companies reached out to her in the wake of her tweet, asking if they could use it as part of their security awareness training. She said sure, offering it for free, and about half of those who used it later told her the song made it easier to get employees to sign up for password managers and enforce the use of multi-factor authentication. They asked her to make more music. Now, what started as a fun side project is a real product that SocialProof Security, which trains companies’ employees on information-security topics via workshops, trainings, and hacking demonstrations, is selling to its customers. The company is making slickly packaged music videos, such as a country western tune about how to spot a phishing scam. Tobac posted a trailer introducing the music videos on Twitter in early August, including a ditty called “Don’t Get Hacked,” which has an ’80s pop vibe. Within two days, 140 companies reached out asking for demos of her company’s music-video approach to
information security, and a number have already signed up as customers. (Tobac wouldn’t name specific companies that signed up for the Official thicker than water jd kirk T-shirt but in fact I love this music video product, but in general SocialProof Security’s customers include a wide range of large companies such as Google, Meta, Lululemon, and Prudential, as well as the US Air Force and some universities.) “I think it really shows that many different companies, not just in tech, are looking for something that’s a lot less boring,” she said. To make the videos, Tobac came up with a list of topics to cover — ranging from social-media safety and password management to malware and ransomware — and gave songwriters a list of details each song should include, as well as ideas for lyrics. Tobac said she explained to songwriters, “This is the type of content I’m trying to make: like ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’ but a little more modern and in different genres.” Watching SocialProof’s music video about how to avoid phishing attempts shows the results: It’s cheesy, with its country-western tune, cowboy-hat-and-boots-wearing singer, and choreographed line dances in an office. But it’s also toe-tappingly fun and, occasionally, catchy (and yes, it includes some basic facts about avoiding falling for a phishing scam). SocialProof Security is making music videos companies can use to teach employees about information security, in hopes of making corporate training more fun and memorable. Johnathan Yerby, an associate professor at Mercer University who studies cybersecurity, thinks it’s a great idea to use music videos to communicate about information
