To kick off the New Year, we’ve compiled 25 cybersecurity memes for 2025! Sharing these memes can help lighten the mood in the often stressful world of cybersecurity and reinforce important security concepts.
Check out our ultimate list of the best cybersecurity and compliance memes:
1. Cybersecurity Memes: The Small Business Dilemma
The hard truth is that cybersecurity is important regardless of organization size! In fact, small businesses are actually more likely to be targeted, precisely because they are small. Small businesses also need security policies, incident response plans, and much, much more.
2. The Regular Updating Scroll of Truth
We’ve all been there. It never feels like the right time to update, does it? It’s so tempting to click “Remind me tomorrow” every day. But regular updates are one of the most basic and important things to do for security. However tempting it may be to keep putting it off:
3. Software Updates Cannot Be Ignored!
Regular updating enables known vulnerabilities to be patched. If vulnerabilities are not addressed, threat actors can exploit them. Plus, besides the obvious security benefits, updates also improve the performance and functionality of the applications you use every day. And that leads us to…
4. Don’t Be This Surprised Pikachu
Failing to update software is like leaving the door wide open for cybercriminals. Known exploits can target unpatched systems, making you an easy target. Don’t be this Pikachu – get proactive with your cybersecurity!
5. The Neverending Questionnaire
What better topic for cybersecurity memes than the infamous security questionnaire? We (or our GRC teams) have all been here:
6. The Friday Afternoon Security Questionnaire
Friday afternoons are for winding down, not being bombarded with a security questionnaire. Pro tip: Keep your documentation organized, and future-you will thank you!
7. When You Realize You Can Stop Filling Out So Many Security Questionnaires
That’s right – the actual reason to get a SOC 2 report is to avoid filling out security questionnaires! (Just kidding, though, security also matters…)
8. Password Cybersecurity Memes
If you think this is an exaggeration, think again! Here are the top 10 passwords used in the United States:
- 123456
- 123456789
- 12345678
- password
- qwerty123
- qwerty1
- 111111
- 12345
- secret
- 123123
The top 200 feature a wide range of other variations of the word “password.”
9. Hacker, or Bob From Accounting?
When logs show unusual activity, at first glance, it can seem like a toss-up: malicious actor or user error? Whether it’s Bob from accounting or something more sinister, analyzing these events is critical.
10. And Definitely Don’t Do This:
You could have the strongest password in the world, but if you use it across multiple accounts, it doesn’t matter!
If just one site is compromised, attackers can easily gain access to your other accounts. Unique passwords create additional layers of security and make it harder for cybercriminals to exploit a single point of entry.
11. When You Put Your Cat’s Name In Your Password
When your password is “Fluffy123″…Remember that your pet’s name isn’t as secure as you think. Use strong, unique passwords and leave Fluffy out of it.
12. Cybersecurity Memes: Penetration Testing
Penetration testing isn’t just a checkbox for compliance. It should be conducted on a regular basis to identify vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Don’t wait for a breach to find out what’s exposed! When shopping for pen testing vendors, look for teams that employ local talent and don’t outsource their services.
13. Penetration Testing or Just a Vulnerability Scan?
Some vendors claim to offer “penetration testing” when, in reality, what they are really doing is vulnerability scanning. Make sure to know the differences between penetration testing vs. vulnerability scanning, so you know your pen testing vendor is doing what they say they are!
14. The Layers of Security: Defense in Depth
Good security means implementing many layers of defense. An example of defense-in-depth is access control on top of things like your firewall and intrusion detection to keep your assets safe. This is a standard security philosophy and strategy.
15. Rickrolling: The OG Phishing Simulation
If you learned how to not trust any links by being chronically online during your childhood, you’re not alone. Rickrolling really did teach an entire generation to stop blindly clicking links. It didn’t come with a training manual, but it worked. Can your phishing training say the same?
16. When Your Team Passes The Phishing Test Like Pros
Okay, maybe it was all the rickrolling they’ve encountered.
Or maybe it was your training program! Either way, it’s a big win for security awareness. Phishing attacks are one of the most common threats, and getting your team to spot them is incredibly important.
As phishing attacks become even more sophisticated with the advent of AI, investing in phishing training for employees is something every single organization should be doing as a basic security measure nowadays.
17. A False Dichotomy? Compliance vs. Cybersecurity
Compliance: checking the boxes to get compliant ASAP.
Cybersecurity: so, so much more.
Ahh, the security vs. compliance debate. The challenge is balancing both. Compliance might make auditors happy, but it doesn’t always mean your systems are actually secure. True security goes beyond frameworks.
But why not do both?
18. Compliance Cybersecurity Memes
Startups – we get it. There’s a lot on your plate. However, not prioritizing compliance for startups is a risky move. Compliance builds trust with customers and sets your business up for long-term success. Bluey gets it.
19. Regulations…Just When You Think You’re Safe
Just when you think you’ve finally caught up with the latest compliance regulations….new changes are announced. It’s a never-ending cycle. Stay ready, because the compliance game never stops.
20. SOC 2: When They Say Everything’s Fine
When the team says they have everything under control for SOC 2, but you know nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
SOC 2 is no joke and is quite a process. Don’t assume it’s going to be easy, and don’t wait until the last minute to find out if you’re missing key pieces. Make sure everything really is under control before your audit by conducting a gap assessment or working with a seasoned MSSP (Managed Security Services Provider) to help you be prepared.
21. What Do You Mean It’s Quarterly?
Like many other legal and voluntary standards, there are ongoing action items to stay compliant with PCI DSS. Don’t ever assume compliance is over once you have all the boxes checked off one time. Most frameworks involve ongoing items.
And that leads us to:
22. When Your Compliance Approach Is “Check The Box”
Don’t let this be your compliance program!
SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, GDPR, HIPAA, and more all require organizations to monitor vendor compliance on an ongoing basis to remain compliant. This is a critical part of risk management, especially as organizations increasingly rely on third-party services.
23. Imagine: This Could Be You
When that moment hits, and you realize you’re officially certified – all the hard work and investments finally paid off. Time to celebrate, but don’t forget – security is a journey, not a destination.
24. It’s Been 84 Years….
When you try to get compliant without using a compliance automation tool, it can feel like it takes decades…Compliance automation tools seriously speed things up.
25. Lastly…Maybe All You Need Is a vCISO (Even If She Doesn’t Even Go Here)
Many startups and SMBs outsource cybersecurity and compliance to a vCISO. The CISO as a service option can be a much more sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective option than building out an entire security team in-house.
At Rhymetec, our vCISOs integrate with your team and act as a part of your organization to help you meet your goals and turn security and compliance into business enablers.
Beyond Cybersecurity Memes – About Rhymetec
We hope these cybersecurity memes for 2025 brightened your day!
At Rhymetec, our mission is to make cutting-edge cybersecurity available to SaaS companies and startups. We’ve worked with hundreds of companies to provide practical security solutions tailored to their needs, enabling them to be secure and compliant while balancing security with budget. We enable our clients to outsource the complexity of security and focus on what really matters – their business. Contact us today to get started.
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