Over-reliance is heavy dependence on a tool, system, or process to the point that independent judgment and manual skill weaken. In cyber security, it often appears when teams trust a single scanner, filter, password rule, or AI assistant too much. The tool may be useful, but if people stop checking its output, they can miss errors, false positives, and blind spots.
This matters because attackers look for gaps between automation and human oversight. A phishing filter can be bypassed, an alerting system can be overloaded, and an AI helper can produce confident but wrong advice. Strong defenses avoid over-reliance by using layered controls, routine review, and practiced manual procedures. Security teams should treat tools as support, not authority, so they can verify results and respond when automation fails.