We live in an era where most work activities have migrated online. With communication, and business activities conducted online, reliance on cybersecurity has increased tremendously.
Accenture’s Ninth Annual Cost of Cybercrime Study revealed that 79% of business leaders attributed cybersecurity breaches to the use of new technologies.
Cybercriminals wreak havoc on companies regularly, and the increased use of electronic devices such as phones and computers creates more opportunities for them to exploit vulnerabilities. In the commerce sector, cybercriminals’ activities can bring a company to its knees and, in severe cases, lead to its extinction.
Malicious attackers use various techniques such as social engineering and malware to trick your employees and infiltrate the organization’s defense systems. Considering the dangers of these activities, how well are your employees equipped to fight against these cyberattacks?
The good news is that there are strategies that an organization can make use of to reduce the activities of cybercriminals. (You can find several in our Free eBook on cybersecurity.) However, the first step remains conducting cybersecurity awareness training for employees.
What is Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
Employees are the weakest link of an organization. This is simply because, like humans, they are bound to make mistakes or fall prey to fraudulent activities. Fortunately, with cybersecurity awareness training, they can build up their skills and be better equipped to avoid accidentally causing a data breach.
Cybersecurity awareness training is a process where employees are educated to identify various cybersecurity risks and threats. Employees are expected to learn the different ways of keeping data secure and the consequences of negligence.
The Importance of Cybersecurity Awareness Training in an Organization
With the current IT landscape, cybercriminals have taken things up a notch by using artificial intelligence to carry out their evil intent. They manipulate the system so that phishing emails are more difficult to detect and come in personalized messages via email, SMS, and even direct message.
This is why organizations must train their employees against the attacks from social engineering while also protecting their systems appropriately. While automated systems can be modeled into repetitive tasks, your employees are always behind the operation of these automated tasks, including calls, chats, and emails.
The only thing that guarantees your organization’s safety is to educate your employees by providing security awareness training.
Employees that are well trained in cybersecurity can reduce an organization’s risk of a security incident by as much as 70%.
Why Should Employees be Trained on Cybersecurity Awareness?
Can your employees report a cybersecurity threat when they cannot identify it? Of course, they cannot.
Employees are on the front line of attacks, which largely come in via phishing. While some phishing can be blocked by email filtering, firewalls, and other security measures, some can still get through. It only takes one to cause a major data breach.
Cyber security awareness training will empower your employees to recognize a threat and understand how to adopt better cyber hygiene, such as using strong passwords.
Different Cybersecurity Awareness Training for Employees
You should train your employees in these areas:
- Forms of cybersecurity threats: This training will help your employees identify potential security breaches and the various ways these threats present themselves. This training educates your employees on social engineering, phishing, etc.
- Password security: Your employees must be trained on having a strong password on devices. Passwords are necessary to protect the sensitive information of your organization. This training helps employees develop strong passwords with the combination of characters and numbers.
- Internet policies: The world has gone digital, which increases the number of digital frauds. The activities of your employees, such as emailing and browsing, can make your organization vulnerable to different attacks. It is essential to introduce your employees to various policies for internet activities and how to ensure email security.
- Reporting cybersecurity threats: Your employees can be likened to the eyes of the organization. The faster a threat is addressed, the lower the risk. Time is of the essence in responding to a cybersecurity attack, and employees need to know proper reporting procedures.
Improve your Cybersecurity Training
Careless employees can cause security breaches in an organization. Your organization cannot afford to ignore the importance of cybersecurity awareness training. Vishnu Security can help your organization reduce the risk of a breach by improving your awareness training.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation.