“Gamification in Cybersecurity”: Hacker Rangers CEO Releases Pioneering Book to Help Companies Build a Security Culture

Digital transformation has accelerated businesses, connected people, and unlocked innovation on a global scale. But alongside this evolution came a quiet and persistent challenge: how do we protect people, data, and organizations in an environment where technology advances faster than awareness of its risks?

This question is the foundation of Gamification in Cybersecurity: Implementing a Security Awareness Program, written by Vinicius Perallis, CEO of Hacker Rangers. More than a technical book, it is an invitation to rethink how organizations approach cybersecurity awareness. The book challenges traditional models and presents a more human, effective, and sustainable path to information security.

From the very first pages, it becomes clear that this is not just another book about attacks, scams, or alarming statistics. The focus is on people: how they learn, how they engage, and most importantly, how they change their behavior when they feel part of the solution.

 

“Cybersecurity is not just about systems. It’s about people. And people need to be prepared, not punished.” — Vinicius Perallis

 

Why Traditional Security Awareness Programs Fail

Throughout the book, Vinicius guides the reader through an honest and necessary diagnosis: traditional cybersecurity awareness programs fail. And they fail not because of a lack of investment or good intentions, but because they are built on outdated logic.

Long lectures, “next, next, finish” training courses, and poorly designed phishing simulations may satisfy audit requirements, but they rarely build a true security culture. They measure attendance, not learning. Completion, not behavioral change.

Drawing from real-world experiences across his professional journey, the author shows how these approaches create only a false sense of security. Employees “complete” the training but do not internalize the risk. They learn how to get through the process, not how to protect themselves.

This leads to a clear call to action for leaders and organizations: awareness is not about transferring information. It is about creating engagement, fostering a sense of ownership, and driving real behavioral change.

Gamification as a Strategy, Not a Gimmick

This is where gamification comes in. And here, the book stands apart from much of the market content. Gamification is not presented as something childish, superficial, or purely entertaining. Instead, it is treated as a structured learning and engagement strategy, grounded in well-defined principles: challenge, progression, rewards, feedback, and belonging.

Throughout the chapters, readers learn that gamifying a security program means creating experiences that make sense in people’s daily work. It means transforming learning into something continuous, relevant, and closely connected to the organization’s reality.

The book demonstrates, in practical terms, that an effective gamified security awareness program must be adaptable, culturally aligned with the organization, and capable of evolving over time. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. There is method, active listening, and collaborative construction.

The core goal of the book is precisely this: to show how to apply gamification to cybersecurity awareness programs with clarity, intention, and a strong focus on real behavioral change.

Security Through Culture, Not Fear

Gamification in Cybersecurity: Implementing a Security Awareness Program is, ultimately, a book about changing the game. About moving away from bureaucratic programs and building experiences that truly work. About seeing users not as the weakest link, but as the strongest ally in digital protection.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon in Kindle format.

“Throughout its pages, Vinicius takes us on a well-structured journey that raises awareness, drives engagement, and offers real paths to transformation.”

— Juliana D’Addio, Security Culture Strategist at Santander

 

“This book presents an intelligent, ethical, and effective proposal. Based on practical experience, it introduces a new approach: gamification as a strategy to change mindsets with purpose, engagement, and intelligence.”

— Chief Information Security Officer at Claro

 

“This book is not just an operational manual. It is an inspiring and generous invitation to transform culture into protection, engagement into tangible results, and individual responsibility into a strong, resilient collective defense.”

— Samanta Oliveira, Data Privacy Officer at Mercado Livre