Veerle Peeters is a sociologist/criminologist, human cyber-risk expert, and strategic advisor who helps organisations translate security awareness into measurable behaviour change. With nearly twenty years of Big Four experience in fraud, human risk and cybersecurity, she bridges the gap between technical teams and real human decision-making. Making security understandable, actionable, and culturally sustainable.

In her breakout session, The Human Attack Surface: How AI Exploits Our Psychology Faster Than We Can Train It , Veerle reveals how the newest battleground in cybersecurity is not technology, but human cognition. AI systems now personalise manipulation at scale, exploiting stress, urgency, curiosity, trust signals, and cognitive biases in ways traditional training cannot keep up with.
Organisations don’t fail because people don’t know what to do. They fail because real behaviour under pressure does not match the theory.

Drawing on criminology, behavioural science, and field experience, Veerle explains how AI-driven social engineering works, why awareness programmes underperform, and how psychological safety, storytelling, and micro-decision frameworks can drastically reduce human-driven incidents. Her approach turns people from perceived liabilities into the strongest part of an organisation’s defence.

Veerle acts as a strategic partner for organisations that want to build security cultures that continue to work when stress is high and attackers move fast. Her work focuses on improving incident reporting, reducing risk behaviour, and creating environments where people feel safe to speak up, ask questions and take ownership of security.

For CYBERNOVA participants, she brings a rare combination of criminology, corporate risk expertise, and deep understanding of human behaviour. Expect a session that is practical, insight-rich, and showing practical cases, equipping leaders with models and stories they can apply immediately to build more resilient teams.