Empower your employees by amping up your security training
The cybersecurity landscape evolves constantly. Fail-safe security can turn vulnerable in an instant with new players in the game like AI. Cybercriminals are finding new and creative ways to get past your security with convincing phishing campaigns, malicious software and disinformation.
Your employees are the perfect target for a cybercriminal and potentially the weakest link in your security fortress. You can build a stronger cybersecurity wall to protect your business by ensuring your employees have training and the awareness to act on it.
This is not something to be taken lightly. Your business could be hit hard by cybercriminals. The following vulnerabilities could exist within your organization. Proactively checking for them today could prevent a disaster tomorrow.
Just how vulnerable are you?
Lack of awareness
Do you have cybersecurity best practices in place? Do you rely exclusively on anti-malware software on your computers? Employees can be caught unaware simply for not knowing the latest methods being used by cybercriminals. Hackers have a vast array of tools to find the chink in your cybersecurity armour. If your staff is not aware of these it makes it even easier to sneak through.
Access to restricted/protected information
It is not unusual for certain employees to have access to important and sensitive financial and operational data. If cybercriminals can compromise these employees’ accounts, it could gain them entry to your organization’s critical files and sensitive details.
Social Engineering
Through crafty manipulation, cybercriminals can utilize social engineering (techniques used to talk someone into divulging sensitive data, or performing a particular action, for unlawful purposes). By playing on basic human emotions or exploiting trust, your staff could be drawn into a cybercrime.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
Almost everyone has a smart phone, tablet or laptop. Allowing employees to access your organization’s network using their personal electronic devices is a potential cybersecurity weakness for your organization. Personal devices are not often as protected as your business systems may be, giving cybercriminals a weakness to target.
Working from home and Hybrid offices
When the world had to shift gears and send people to work from home, it posed new challenges for businesses. It created an environment of multiple satellite offices without the same level of security as your corporate networks. This increases the risk of an attack on your business.
Here are some best practices to help you create a program for your Employee Cybersecurity Training
Assess
Take measure of the risks your organization faces when it comes to cybersecurity. Where do your employees need extra reinforcement? Tailor your program to account for these risks.
Define
Having clear, measurable goals will help you define the objectives of your training program. This provides a strong foundation for your employees to understand what is expected of them and what skills you may need them to acquire.
Engage
Wherever possible, ensure a variety of learning methods for your messages. Everyone learns and retains information differently. Checklists, infographics, videos and interactive learning modules should all be used to get the message across.
Customize
Turnkey training solutions are available and can be useful. But tailoring your message to your business, relating the pitfalls to your employees and their roles will go so much farther. It makes the message more relatable.
Schedule
If your cybersecurity culture is based on regular and consistent training you are staying ahead of the cybercriminals. Education should not be treated as a one and done task. It should evolve with the times.
Measure
Incorporate measurable KPIs into your cybersecurity training. Collect feedback from the employees to measure their confidence in their skills to prevent a cybersecurity event. Use the collected information to tweak your program as needed.
Communicate
Engaging your staff in discussions about cybersecurity and encouraging them to be active participants in the safety and security of the business, fosters a strong cybersecurity culture.
Let’s work together to ensure your success.
If it’s a new program for your business or enhancing your existing processes, you don’t have to do it alone. PACE Technical can help you to design a strong cybersecurity awareness training program that will keep your employees engaged and ensure your organization’s defenses are top notch.
Reach out today to arrange a conversation with our strategy team.