Did you know that 82% of data breaches are caused by human error? That includes factors like carelessness, misuse and social attacks. No matter the cause, one thing is clear: there is no greater cybercrime prevention than employees educated on proper cybersecurity practices. You can have the latest and greatest hardware and software, a next-generation firewall and even security event and incident management (SEIM) and still suffer great consequences of a cyberattack by a lapse in judgment made by an employee at your company.
That’s where cybersecurity awareness training comes into play. New cyberattacks arise every day, initiated by cybercriminals who are well-versed in breaching even the most secure systems. To prevent potential financial and reputational disasters for your organization, you must train your employees to spot common signs of phishing or social engineering scams. Here’s how you can get started with proper employee security training.
Understanding Human Error in Cybersecurity
Two types of human error that can cause company and security disruption – skill-based errors and decision-based errors:
- Skill-based errors occur during slips or lapses in judgment while performing tasks. These can occur when an employee is distracted or unfocused on the activity they are performing. An example might be sending sensitive information to the wrong email address, causing the information to be exposed to threats.
- Decision-based errors happen when employees act without the proper knowledge of what will occur. For instance, without being informed about what a malicious email looks like, employees may be more likely to click on a link that involves ransomware. Incidents like this emphasize the need for proper security awareness training.
What is Security Awareness Training?
A lack of proper cybersecurity awareness isn’t necessarily always the employee’s fault. After all, best cybersecurity practices change daily thanks to new cyberthreats. Developing a culture of cybersecurity awareness at your organization is the number one way to ensure security is always at the forefront of employees’ minds, and it decreases the chances of human error.
To start your training, identify any past occurrences of security disruption at your organization. You can do so by talking to your IT department to see if they have any reports of attacks. Alternatively, you can research current cyberattack trends to see what’s affecting companies.
From there, it’s a case of developing a list of best practices for your employees to follow. For example, you could cover:
- How to create a stronger password and have proper password management
- How to spot patterns of common phishing attacks
- The risk of connecting personal devices to corporate networks
- Proper policies for how to handle, distribute and store data
Moreover, you can consider your own company when developing other talking points more specific to your industry.
Creating Your Cybercrime Prevention Testing
Often the most effective kind of cybersecurity staff training involves simulated phishing attacks. You can do this via email phishing training either as a “blind study,” without giving employees notice, or make them aware so they know to look out for potential phishing attacks.
Either way, after rolling out two or three test emails per person, gather data on the number of clicks these suspicious emails received and whether employees have improved after training. You can refer to these numbers in monthly meetings and encourage discussion among employees, giving them an open floor to ask questions if they are struggling to differentiate between safe and unsafe emails.
Step Up Your Security Today
In the end, cybercrime prevention is all about taking proactive measures. Unfortunately, cyberattacks are a question of when, not if. It’s best to be prepared for an attack, and that starts with giving your employees the right education.
If you’re interested in learning more about cybersecurity offerings and would like assistance with the process, reach out to the CyberTrust IT Solutions team today. We can safeguard your business with end-to-end security measures and help you better understand how to improve your cybersecurity.
