If you're in charge of planning your company's training programs, workshops, and seminars, consider adding cybersecurity training to your calendar. You may not know it, but cyber attacks have become increasingly common and alarmingly frequent in recent years. According to the latest data, someone falls victim to a cyber attack every 11 seconds, and nearly 6 in 10 businesses experienced a ransomware attack this year. Some of the worst data breaches have resulted in companies losing millions of dollars, while other forms of cyber attacks have caused some organizations’ systems to malfunction or completely shut down.
Training employees to defend against cyber threats not only enhances your workforce's basic skill set, but it also creates a culture of cybersecurity within your company. Here's how to empower employees to be the first line of defense against cyber threats.
Diminish Cybersecurity Errors
Think that Internet-savvy employees are unlikely to make costly cybersecurity errors? Think again. Even the most competent workers can make mistakes, such as having one password for all systems, using public Wi-Fi to access business systems and accounts, sharing devices with non-employees, downloading unauthorized or unverified software on company laptops or phones, and opening suspicious emails with questionable links. The latter, in particular, happens quite often in the workplace, and cybercriminals use this knowledge to their advantage to conduct phishing attacks on companies. According to research, 96 percent of phishing attacks are delivered through email. The message, which may seem like it was sent by HR or a company executive, typically includes a link that redirects the user to a fake website that prompts them to enter their credentials for hackers to steal.
About 50 percent of people who fell for a phishing email claimed that they were distracted or too tired to recognize the email for what it really is. To mitigate mistakes, schedule training sessions to discuss cybersecurity policies, and include clear rules in the module about using company devices, opening emails, using public Wi-Fi, and the like. Employees should also be encouraged to flag suspicious emails, and anyone who receives one should warn everyone else about it.
Conduct Cybersecurity Drills
To prepare employees for Internet threats, conduct cyber attack simulation exercises on random days. Each drill should be designed in such a way that they test a different set of employees. So for instance, some drills can be just for the IT team, while other exercises will be for everyone else in the company. You can have the cybersecurity drills during workshops as part of hands-on training, but see to it that you also conduct surprise drills throughout the year to assess if policies need to be adjusted or if employees need to be retrained.
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Some of these drills may include phishing simulations, which involve sending mock phishing emails to staff to test their ability to identify, flag, and report suspicious emails. You may also conduct in-depth tests to protect your company from cyber criminals since some attacks can be orchestrated in the real world. There's always a chance that someone can be a target for vishing or voice phishing, wherein scammers impersonate co-workers or managers to trick an employee to reveal sensitive information over the phone. Train employees to recognize vishing attempts– typically, criminals will use forceful language or threats to get someone to divulge sensitive information. If the person on the other line uses scare tactics like this, remind people during training sessions that they should never reveal their personal information, and they should always check the phone number to verify the caller's identity.
Adapt and Commit to Continuous Training
Some hackers can be relentless, and they can find new ways to crack secure systems. To stay one step ahead, make it a point to conduct regular training throughout the year to maintain cybersecurity awareness. Be updated on the latest news on cyber attacks so you can plan your module accordingly. You may also call in cybersecurity experts to give lectures every few months or so, and send members of your IT team to cybersecurity conferences to know the latest measures to protect your company from cyber threats.
Hackers and phishers can strike at any given time, on any day. Avoid becoming a victim of cyber attacks by training employees to defend against cyber threats, and conduct constant training throughout the year to strengthen their cybersecurity skills.
