Cybersecurity Training in the Workplace: Why Your Business Needs It

Cybersecurity Training in the Workplace: Why Your Business Needs It

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Cybersecurity is a complex issue that demands a lot of investment and planning. When it comes to keeping your infrastructure and data safe, preemptive monitoring and management is the best approach. 

Nevertheless, it may shock you to discover that the biggest security risk to your business may not come from the technology you use but rather the people who use it. 

Most Data Breaches Are Caused by Human Error

A Shred-It survey revealed that almost half of the business leaders questioned had experienced a data breach at their business caused through human error. 

Downloading malware disguised as software, losing a document or device, or opening a phishing email are common ways in which hackers could gain access to your accounts. The financial loss that this results in could be devastating for any business. In fact, it is predicted that the average data breach costs $8.19 million in the United States.

Sadly, there does not seem to be any sign of data breaches caused by human error slowing down. A recent Egress report has indicated that six in ten business owners believe one of their employees will cause a data breach by accident this year. It is a worrying fact that not only are employees one of your main cybersecurity threats, but their mistakes are also growing by a considerable degree. 

It Starts with Everyday Habits

Small everyday habits that are not corrected can result in some of the most severe threats to your IT infrastructure because employees do not think that they could be damaging. Our current culture of sharing information reinforces one of the most common issues. 

Employees aren’t as cautious as they should be when bringing data from prior employment into their current place of work. In fact, 63 percent of employees admit they have taken data from their previous job to their new job. While this behavior could result in a business being exposed to data threats, employees often underestimate or simply don’t see how data sharing can be damaging.

Businesses are aiming to take the matter into their own hands by creating guidelines about data security checks or phishing in the office. However, guidelines are not enough on their own. Cybersecurity training, on the other hand, can bridge the gap between security measures and your workforce and ensure your employees know exactly how they should and should not handle company data.

Cybersecurity Training Supports Comprehensive Data Security Planning

Not only will an experienced cybersecurity professional help your staff to become more efficient, but they can also assist with designing a robust cybersecurity plan. A successful plan will incorporate an understanding of your company’s vulnerabilities, as well as outline the right tools and solutions that need to be put into place to patch those weaknesses. It will also promote operational continuity through backup and recovery plans. 

How Cybersecurity Training Can Help with Detecting Phishing

One of the main benefits associated with cybersecurity training is that it can help employees detect and avoid phishing attempts. Phishing emails are a factor in 70 percent of data breaches, so teaching your staff to recognize malicious emails is key. 

Cybersecurity training provides detailed simulations to guide your employees to recognize phishing attempts. Some of the major red flags of a phishing email and some of the factors that are discussed in cybersecurity awareness training include the following:

• Automated and usually grammatically incorrect wording
• A URL link that does not match the legitimate company’s URL (i.e., ama.zon.com instead of amazon.com)
• A suspicious attachment, for example, an invoice
• A domain name that is not spelled correctly
• Generalized greetings such as “Dear madam” or “Dear sir”

Guidance When Things Go Wrong

Beyond providing awareness training for your staff, a cybersecurity expert can also offer guidance for mitigating the damage when the worst does happen.

It is pivotal for employees to practice the best responses to a number of different cyber attacks or security incidents because panic is the main cause of disruptive IT disasters. It is especially beneficial for training to incorporate live simulation exercises. These can help companies to determine their weaknesses and teach their workers the correct response process. 

All in all, there is no denying that the threat of a cybersecurity attack is a very real one in the current day and age. Use the advice that has been provided above to make sure your company is protected.

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March 18, 2020 at 12:49PM