Educating Your Employees Cyber security can be described as a two-pronged approach.
You must first give them the information they need in order to be alert for the activities of cybercriminals. You must also teach them how to protect your organization’s systems and data from cyberattacks.
Why is it important for employees to educate about cyber security?
Despite the advancements in technology to combat cybercrime, cybercrime has risen significantly over the last few years. This is why the UK’s annual losses from cybercrime and fraud exceeded the PS1.3bn threshold by August 2021. This was part of a threefold increase in cases handled in the first half by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.
This is not just about targeted attacks on large businesses. These numbers reflect the thousands of small-business owners and managers who have been victims of digital fraud. These losses could have been prevented and may have arisen from an inadvertent keystroke.
Also read: How to Be One Step Ahead of Hackers with Breach and Attack Simulation
What can a company do to teach its employees about cyber security?
Your employees’ role in sensitive data handling and their use of devices in the field will determine how much training they need. Some employees may require ongoing and advanced training in cyber threat identification and response. There are some things you should teach all employees.
What are the threats?
It is vital that employees are well-informed about current cybercrime techniques. It may not be obvious to many that it is important to avoid clicking on suspicious websites and downloading malware. Many digital threats lurk in emails, which many employees use every day.
Clear instruction is needed for your team on how to avoid opening unauthenticated email attachments and giving financial information without authorization. You should also discuss the importance of strong passwords and the dangers of weak passwords for your organization’s data.
How to keep data safe
Online or in-person support is also required by employees to help them become proficient and confident in the cyber protection tools they use.
Do your employees understand Microsoft Office 365’s advanced threat protection (ATP), which helps to manage threats hidden in emails and other links? How does your internet firewall work?
They must also know how to keep their devices safe with software updates.
Also read: 5 Right Strategies to Protect Your Company’s Data
Good practice requires more foundations
Employees should be taught the basics of device security, such as not leaving their phones in cars and protecting data when they use public networks.
Staff will need to have clear instructions on how they can respond quickly to any potential cyberattacks, such as ransomware and malware.
How can businesses stay on top of cyber security awareness?
Regularly assessing your organization’s email security, data protection systems, software updates, and maintaining good employee awareness is key to maintaining a high level of employee awareness. You can then inform your employees that you invest in cyber security. This will show your employee how important cyber security is to you and can be used as a way to remind them of their roles in protecting your business’ data.
This is true for all new cybercrime trends and threats. Your employee should be able to identify suspicious activity and help you to remain alert and ready to respond.
It will be important to learn from your mistakes. This does not necessarily mean that you should have a culture of ‘blame and shame. Instead, your company could learn from the mistakes you make to improve cybersecurity awareness and control.
Your employees’ ability to keep your data and business systems safe is dependent on regular updates. It is important to evaluate the level of awareness your employees have about threats and how your systems manage them.
Hackers with malicious intent and cybercriminals are always improving their skills and discovering new ways to steal or compromise data. Cybersecurity should not be taken lightly.
Also, there is so much at stake, so make sure you educate your employee about cyber security and check that they understand it. Then, always start over!
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