MindShield White Paper
The Future of Cognitive Security and Cyber-Resilience
Why we exist.
From national security to the individual human mind, we are facing new and unprecedented threats. Social media, AI, and immersive digital environments are exponentially and cost-effectively scaling online manipulation, misinformation and psychological attacks. Traditional cybersecurity, with its focus on protecting systems and data, is no longer enough.
98% of cyberattacks exploit our psychology and emotion because human error is often the weakest link. Yet billions of dollars are going purely towards infrastructure solutions. Firewalls and encryption may protect our devices, but they cannot safeguard the mind from manipulation—cognitive processes are easily exploited through social engineering, algorithmic biases, dark design patterns and digital overstimulation to commit majority of breaches.
As these threats evolve—with the rise of AI-driven disinformation and the impending reality of quantum computing that can break any binary encryption—building 'Cognitive Security' is no longer optional. It’s essential.
Sumona Banerji
Founder, Cyber-psychologist
Cyber attacks are attributed to social engineering and human error
Annual estimated worldwide cybercrime cost by 2025
Surveyed employees said they found cybersecurity training boring and repetitive
How we define cognitive security.
It is the protection of mental processes—our ability to perceive, think, and make decisions—from external manipulation. This encompasses a broad range of activities, from defending against misinformation and propaganda to mitigating the effects of cognitive biases and ensuring the integrity of personal decision-making processes. The ultimate goal is to preserve the autonomy and well-being of individuals by shielding their cognitive functions from malicious or unintended disruptions and various online threats, such as:
Misinformation & Disinformation
Social Engineering
Polarization & Radicalization
Social Disconnection
Exploitation & Grooming
Cyber Harassment
Our mission.
MindShield's mission is to empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to defend against cognitive threats, ensuring the sanctity of citizen's minds in an increasingly digital world.
We do this by:
● Developing and disseminating educational resources on cognitive security.
● Creating assessment tools to identify cognitive vulnerabilities.
● Designing targeted interventions and training programs to enhance cognitive resilience.
● Collaborating with experts in psychology, neuroscience, cybersecurity, and design to advance the field of cognitive security.
We aim to be a player in mitigating cyber warfare, psychological operations (PsyOps), and information
warfare.
In the context of a potential third world war, where cyber warfare, psychological operations, and information warfare are likely to play central roles, MindShield aims to be a crucial player in mitigating these multifaceted threats. We recognize that modern
conflicts extend beyond physical battlegrounds to include the digital and psychological domains, where the manipulation of information and cognitive processes can be as
damaging as traditional weapons.
Solutions (in development)
01
PRISM
PRISM is an ecosystem of services that trains users to recognize, resist, and respond to social engineering, misinformation and manipulation effectively, while building stronger community and open communication.
The ecosystem includes 3 parts:
Part 1: PRISM A.I Powered
Role-Playing Game (RPG)
PRISM’s role-play simulation game places users in real-world digital scenarios—like phishing scams, cyber harrassment or fake news—and teaches them how to make decisions and think critically under pressure. This method strengthens cognitive resilience in a way that no traditional classroom can.
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PRISM generates scenarios handcrafted by experts, that mimic online manipulation.
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Users interact with AI agents in real time, making decisions to mitigate the situation
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PRISM conducts assessments, grades responses, provides feedback and recommendations to improve cognitive security skills.
Part 2: Online CogSec & Resilience Training Courses
Online courses created with the help of psychologists and cybersecurity experts train individuals to recognize, resist, and respond to social engineering, misinformation and manipulation.
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Can be done asynchronously, pre-recorded or live.
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Training is gamified and can go hand in hand with the RPG game and community
Part 3: PRISM Online Community & Support Network
Users share scenarios & brainstorm responses along with a guide, consultant or cybersecurity teams in an online community.
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A central young thriving community of professionals, psychologists, and techies passionate about furthering cognitive security
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Private communities for employees within a company / govt department
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Space to share and ask for support when faced with an incident
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Platform for collaborative networking, coaching, problem solving
02
The Cognitive Resilience Scale
The Cognitive Resilience Scale (CRS) is a cornerstone of MindShield’s cognitive security framework. Designed to assess an individual’s vulnerability to cognitive threats, the CRS provides a comprehensive evaluation of how susceptible someone is to manipulation, misinformation, and psychological exploitation. By identifying key areas of cognitive risk, the CRS offers actionable insights into how individuals can strengthen their mental defenses and build resilience against these ever-evolving digital threats.
The CRS is built upon a robust six-parameter framework. Contact us to go deeper.
Autonomy & Self-Efficacy
Self-Esteem
Positive Relationships
Environmental Mastery
Personal Growth
Purpose
Our approach.
Engage
Gamified, interactive, personalized, exciting, effective and entertaining. Played solo or in teams. Can be personalized to different demographics
Defend
Proactive defense against threats before they occur. Gives parents an ‘in’ with their kids to reconnect, by playing together. Gives leaders an ‘in’ with their employees to collaborate and problem-solve
Train
Trains discernment, emotional intelligence, resilience, critical thinking, communication, EQ, conflict resolution, attention, mindfulness, and relationship building
Connect
Opens up channels of communication between people. Builds empathy, social support & connection while
de-stigmatizing victimization.
Offerings
CogSec Training
For private and govt. organizations and employees, exploring the impact, need and channels of rolling out cognitive security as a defense against social engineering and psychological operations (PsyOps)
Cognitive Resilience Scale
A proprietary assessment to gauge someone's cognitive risk or resiliency or what mainstream calls 'the downward spiral' based on the 6 parameter framework of psychological well-being.
Join the Cognitive Security Movement
Building resilience isn’t just about learning facts. It’s about fostering self-awareness, understanding our emotional triggers, and being conscious of how we react to information. MindShield taps into this by incorporating the principles of Cyber-Psychology into its cognitive security training, helping individuals strengthen their emotional and cognitive defenses.