Case Study: The "Urgent" Board Report Breach

Toby Sinclair

04 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

When the "Breach" is Your Boss.

How a Tech Firm stress-tested their team against the #1 cause of internal data leaks: Authority Bias.

"It’s easy to say 'No' to a phishing email from a stranger. It is terrifying to say 'No' to a Senior VP who is screaming that he needs the data for a Board Meeting in five minutes." — Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

THE CHALLENGE

The "Yes-Man" Risk.

The client, a rapidly scaling tech firm, had perfect GDPR training records. Everyone knew the rules: Never email raw customer PII (Personally Identifiable Information) internally.

But the CISO knew that culture trumps policy. The company moved fast. "Get it done" was the motto.

His fear was Authority Bias. He suspected that if a senior leader applied enough pressure, junior employees would bypass security protocols to be "helpful."

The risk wasn't malicious intent. The risk was panic. He needed to know: Is our data protection strong enough to survive a screaming boss?

THE SOLUTION

We weaponised the "Urgent Request."

They used Real Talk Studio to create a "Social Engineering" simulation from the inside.

The Scenario: "The Board Report"

The Avatar: "Marcus," a Senior VP who is visibly stressed, pacing, and impatient.
The Demand: "I’m walking into the Board meeting in 10 minutes. I need the full customer export for Q4. Just email me the Excel sheet. Now."
The Trap: When the employee hesitates (citing policy), Marcus explodes: "I don't have time for red tape! This is for the Board! Do you want to be the reason we miss our numbers? Just send it!"

The Test: The employee has to withstand the emotional assault. They must refuse the request for raw data without being unhelpful.

Fail: Sending the file.
Pass: Offering a solution: "I can't email the raw list, Marcus. But I can give you the anonymised aggregate charts in 2 minutes. That’s safe to share."

THE DISCOVERY

Panic Overrides Policy.

The results of the initial scan were alarming.

The 60% Fail Rate: In the first run, 60% of employees folded. When Marcus threatened their competence ("Are you blocking me?"), they panicked and clicked "Send."

Insight: They knew the GDPR rule. But the fear of upsetting a leader was stronger than the fear of breaking the law.

The "Helpful" Pivot: The simulation highlighted that employees didn't know how to say no. They only knew how to apologise. The firm used the transcripts to teach a new "Script of Strength": Don't Apologise, Offer Alternatives.

Old Way: "I'm sorry, I can't, it's the rules." (Weakness)
New Way: "I can't send the raw file, but I can send the trend report immediately." (Competence)

THE STRATEGIC WIN

Operational Bravery.

The firm didn't just fix a compliance gap; they fixed a culture gap.

After re-running the simulation, the "Fold Rate" dropped to under 5%. Employees reported feeling empowered. They realised that protecting the data was part of their job, even if it meant friction with a VP.

"We didn't just teach them Data Protection. We taught them Operational Bravery. Now, when they protect our data, they don't feel like they are being difficult—they feel like they are doing their job."