MINORITY & VETERAN OWNED

Cybersecurity Awareness and the Importance of Employee Training For Stronger Security

 

What is Cybersecurity Awareness?

Cybersecurity Awareness is the continual practice of educating oneself of cybersecurity threats and how to prevent them as well as what to do when they happen to minimize damage. By having an understanding of what tactics are used by hackers, you not only can be more proactive in protecting your data but have greater digital safety. 

It is essential that organizations make cybersecurity awareness a wide spread initiative for it to be most effective and beneficial to them.

Why is it important for employees to have Cybersecurity Awareness?

One of the main reasons for security breaches in organizations is human error. The best defense systems and measures can be in place, but at the end of the day it is people handling data. Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report stated that more than 80% of breaches involved the human element, including social engineering attacks, errors and misuse of stolen credentials. If these people do not have a knowledge of basic cybersecurity awareness, the chances of security breaches by human error increases significantly.

Cybersecurity awareness does not just mean data breaches are being prevented though. Having cybersecurity awareness in your organization also has several other benefits. Some of these include:

  • Better Compliance with Laws and Legal Requirements by Employees
  • Protected Brand Reputation and Customer Trust
  • Cost Reduced from a Lack of Data Breaches
  • Stronger Security Culture in the Workplace

 

Basic Cybersecurity Practices Employees need to know

HAVE STRONG UNIQUE PASSWORDS
  Strong passwords should include a mix of upper and lowercase letters with unique symbols and numbers. Do not share this password and do not have it be the same password across accounts. Having your password be the same one for your social media account is a security risk waiting to happen.

ENABLE 2FA OR MFA
   If there is a for of multi-factor authentication available, enable it. It provides an extra layer of security on top of the standard password because the user has to have at least one secondary method of authentication such as a fingerprint of mobile alert. This can also alert users to when someone is trying to get into their account so they can respond accordingly.

USE THE S.L.A.M. METHOD TO IDENTIFY SUSPICIOUS EMAILS
   When an email comes in, make sure you are checking:

  1. Sender- Verify the sender’s email address and that it is from a legitimate source.
  2. Links- Hover over any links to see where they lead before clicking. If a link looks suspicious, such as an uncommon URL, do not click it.
  3. Attachments- Avoid downloading and opening attachments from unknown senders and unexpected attachments from known ones.
  4. Message- Scan the message for poor grammar and misspellings. Those are often signs a hacking attempt is being made.

   A common tactic hackers use to cause security breaches is phishing emails. Being aware of how to identify them is essential to preventing cyber attacks.

ENSURE SECURE CONNECTIONS
   Avoid using public wi-fi networks. These are common locations where hackers can use the wi-fi to access other devices and breach data. Having a virtual private network (VPN) for your organization is also beneficial because it encrypts your data traffic, securing your connection. When working from home, secure your home network. This can be done by making sure computers are plugged into the router, not the modem, changing the default password, and disabling remote router administration.

REGULARLY UPDATE SOFTWARE AND SYSTEMS   
   Making sure software and systems are up to date means that any bugs or former problems are being fixed. If this is not done, hackers can still exploit these former problems and cause data breaches.

PRACTICE SAFE BROWSING
   Avoid using suspicious or irrelevant websites during work hours and utilize browser security features and consider installing reputable security extensions.

BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT IS SHARED ONLINE
   Attackers can use social media accounts to get information that can be used to attack an organization so be aware of what you are posting and to whom. Regularly review and update privacy settings, make sure any content in the background of what you are posting is not sensitive or identifiable information, and delete old and unused accounts to reduce digital footprint.

BACK-UP DATA IN CASE OF CYBERATTACK  
   Have data backed up regularly to an external drive or cloud service to ensure that if a cyberattack does happen, important files can still be recovered.

Implement a professional cybersecurity program

For more information, visit our site where you can find out more about the ways we can help stave off ransomware attacks to help keep your business on sure footing.