As organizations face the possibility of cyber risks, it is very important for organizations to stay up-to-date and informed to best manage and handle these situations. Using the correct approach will help your business to stay cyber-secure.
The correct approach, in this case, is cybersecurity awareness training. In this article, we will go through what it is, how you can apply it, and why it is important. We will also look at the most common threats your company might encounter.
What Is Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
When evaluating any business system and assessing it for cyber vulnerabilities, commonly human-performed tasks are shown as the weaker areas.
Your business can have the most secure data service, but incidents can happen and procedures may not be followed accordingly. We can all choose ridiculously easy passwords and cut corners from time to time. Thankfully, this can be avoided through cybersecurity awareness training.
People may be inconsistent, in that we tend to take the easy path if we think it makes no significant difference to the outcome. However, where cybersecurity is concerned, letting our guard down is the very worst mistake we can make.
Tackling the Problem
Cybersecurity awareness training aims to crystallize in the mind of the individual how enormously crucial their actions are when it comes to the security of the business. This is the same whether the employee clocks into the office in person or accesses a system remotely.
Possible data breaches can lead to the dissemination of confidential information across all manners of digital platforms. We will also be discussing the enormous financial penalties that may upend the business completely. Therefore, the importance of security measures is prominent.
More specifically, cybersecurity awareness training teaches the employee about the typical tactics that a cyber-insurgent might use to invade a business system. It studies the various modes of attack, as well as the most common points of entry where defenses are commonly at their weakest.
Best practices are also examined and inculcated, and employees are encouraged to think about how these practices can be inserted into their roles and daily routines.
How Can You Apply Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
There are several different approaches to giving employees an understanding of cybersecurity. Most businesses tend to deliver a module on this topic, often held online, which informs employees of their responsibilities regarding cybersecurity, as well as what can happen if they do not observe them properly. This means the consequences for the business, the customer, and—not least—the employee responsible.
The trouble with this kind of approach is that the employee sits down, listens to the presentation, and then may well forget all about it the moment they go back to their usual duties. And that is it until the next time they have to sit through the presentation (often a once-a-year thing).
Nonetheless, you can see why companies use this model—it is cheap, convenient, and places the onus on the employee who has, for all intents and purposes, had cybersecurity training. Therefore, the employee becomes responsible for any problems that ensue.
However, this is setting people up to fail. A better and more systemic way forward is to bring the training by an employee so that it has more relevance. This might mean having a member of staff trained as a specialist in cybersecurity management. This person can then visit each workplace, ask teams about their work, and then analyze the current way of doing things for vulnerabilities. Albeit, this may be pricier, it will result in higher levels of cybersecurity, complete with less risk of fines or cost to the brand.
What Are the Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
There are several reasons to implement good cybersecurity awareness training.
1. Cost saving
The average amount it costs a business when there is a data breach is higher now than ever before, standing at roughly $4.45 million. Set against this eye-watering sum, the cost of effective cybersecurity training seems like a bargain.
The cost for some businesses can be more than just a financial setback though. Thus, when viewed in this light, cybersecurity awareness training may be essential to keep your business functioning at all.
2. Better reputation
Certainly, the cost of a data breach is not just calculated in dollars and cents. The hit that a company’s reputation will take can be beyond measure. This is one of the reasons why companies often invest in PR and marketing and opt for a domain name that reflects well on them.
When a company has a high-profile data breach, its standing in the eyes of its customers, both existing and potential, plummets. In a world where competition is fierce, and so many alternatives are available to customers, it is super-important to preserve a reputation of probity and reliability, hence, a breach is the last thing you want to be associated with.
Cybersecurity awareness training makes data breaches less likely and as a result, highly contributing to maintaining a positive business reputation going forward.
3. Employee empowerment
When you are better-informed about something, you are empowered to deal with it better. A trained member of staff is able to handle issues as they arise. This delivers enormous benefits in terms of staff competence and job satisfaction.
When technical knowledge is compartmentalized, it can lead to downtime as whole offices stop working while they wait for an engineer to arrive. This is becoming ever more problematic with the onset of developments such as Web3’s issues with decentralization and content sharing.
Conversely, the more that knowledge can proliferate, the better each employee is able to deal with any problems themselves. This means greater productivity for the business and a better self-image for the employee.
4. Improving remote security
The growth of remote working has inevitably led to greater opportunities for cybercriminals to attempt systemic intrusions. Cases such as an unsafe connection, need to be rectified fast.
Whatever you are using, ask questions about system features. If your remote setup uses MS Remote Desktop Protocol, ask yourself, is RDP secure in this application? Tweak or replace as necessary.
Cybersecurity awareness training needs to be directed at remote workers as well, so they appreciate the vulnerabilities that surround their roles. If you have a specialist in cybersecurity management on your payroll, you could consider setting up virtual one-on-ones to ensure the security of operations. The more employees understand cyber defense, the less exposed your business will be.
What Should Cybersecurity Awareness Training Cover?
1. Anti-phishing
This means being aware of illegitimate emails and messages that seek to expropriate details and confidential information. It gives employees a good idea of what to look out for, and what to never do, such as clicking on links and attachments they are not 100% sure of.
2. Password security
With automated hacking, it does not take long to get into a system that has a poor password, and a system’s only as secure as its weakest password. Therefore, everybody needs training in setting up secure practices.
3. Physical issue
Whatever you are involved in, anything you are using to access the system, such as mobile devices, or anything containing sensitive data, such as a memory stick, must be kept secure at all times. This means either locked away or safely on the employee’s person.
4. Social matters
Employees also need training in the techniques cybercriminals can use to win trust. These attempts often come in waves, such as confidence tricks coming from a particular part of the world concerning an injustice an employee can help to counter. Such methods can be surprisingly effective and lead to data privacy breaches, so you should include them in any training you deliver.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity awareness training is an essential that businesses neglect at their peril. Remember to include everybody in it, and to impress upon all members of staff just how important it is to keep applying the techniques you are covering.
Cybercriminals are not likely to give up any time soon, so neither should you. Cybersecurity is a constant concern—one your team needs to be aware of and doing their best to avert every day.
