Cybersecurity Training – Your Staff Are Your Best Defense

October 29, 2021

Studies on cybersecurity events show that between 70 and 90% of data breaches are caused by simple human error. Shocking information, right! Recently the huge hike in cybercrime rates also proves that no business is immune to the risk of a cyber-attack.

Your business can be attacked by malware, hacking, ransomware, spam, or social engineering, and a moment of carelessness or one mistake from a single employee could compromise your entire organization. That is why cybersecurity training is vital for employees. Training your employees is a great way to provide an extra layer of resilience to cyber-attack.

Check out these five ways to strengthen employee cybersecurity awareness.

Establish an email address for queries
Creating an email account where employees can send their questions on any and all things cybersecurity provides for a good start and has multiple benefits. For one thing, the designated email account can encourage employees to come forward and ask questions that they might not otherwise ask. Employers can also ask their staff to forward suspicious-looking emails to the address for review, which can help the employees become more astute at recognizing fraudulent email messages. That said, make sure that the mailbox can only be accessed by very well (and specifically) trained staff. The messages can also be used for organizing training sessions that will benefit the other employees and the company as a whole.

Set up an early warning system
To counter malicious spam campaigns, it’s worth considering establishing an early warning procedure that allows for alerting everyone at the company and keeping all employees informed that a malicious campaign is circulating. This can cut the risk that an unsuspecting employee will fall for the trap, putting organizational, employee, and customer data in danger. 

Organize talks and trainings
Talks with experts can also go a long way towards educating staff on various aspects of information security. Since organizations typically employ professionals from various fields, it may be advisable to set up separate talks that target the abilities, interests, and experiences of various groups of people.

Run contests
Everybody loves to compete – and win, right? Employee contests are a fun way to help instill robust cybersecurity habits. For instance, materials from trainings or talks can be leveraged for quizzes that will not only reward the winners but will also provide your organization with better insight into just how cyber-aware the employees are. 

Draft a good practice guide
Draft a document that details the most efficient ways to help the company and its employees ward off cyberattacks. Such guidelines may include, for example, information about how to configure devices securely, how to encrypt information, how to set up two-factor authentication factor on various services. It’s also important to make sure that the guides are easy to read, contain only the necessary information, can be easily accessed by any employee, and are kept up-to-date.