Why employees need cyber security training?

A study conducted by Proofpoint found that 88% of organizations worldwide experienced a phishing attempt in the year 2019[1]. Robust cybersecurity is essential for organizations. The pandemic has led to an increase in the use of cloud services and many organizations have adopted a remote working model. According to research by Cybint, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are the result of human error[2]. Remote workers have become the preferred target for cyber attacks. This highlights the need for organizations to provide cybersecurity awareness and training to employees.

What is cybersecurity awareness training?

The best defense again phishing attacks is human intelligence and common sense. Employees who are aware of potential cyber threats and know how to prevent them are essential for businesses looking to maintain their cybersecurity. Awareness training teaches employees at a business about common and ongoing cyber threats. The training helps employees understand the gravity and consequences of a successful attack. It helps prepare employees to deal with common attacks.

See also: The ROI of Security Awareness Training

The human element in cybersecurity

Corporate culture is shared by human actions. Therefore if businesses want to have a security-first culture at their organizations they cannot ignore the human element. If employees don't care about security they will open attachments without care, click on links without validating them, and will fail to take basic security precautions. This greatly increased your business's security risk. Regular security awareness training is one way that businesses can help create a security-first culture. Repetition is key, doing training once a year will not be effective. Employees need to be regularly updated and training on emerging threats and their potential consequences. When employees see how seriously a business takes cybersecurity, they automatically take security precautions. If businesses have a lackadaisical attitude towards their cybersecurity this will reflect in employee behavior.

In just the first half of 2020 36 billion records were exposed by data breaches[3]. Download this white paper by Mimecast to learn more about the unintentional bad behavior by employees that can seriously undermine an organization's cybersecurity.

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Source:

1. 2020, 'State of the Phish: An in-depth look at user awareness, vulnerability and resilience', proofpoint, [avaialbe online] avialble from: https://www.proofpoint.com/sites/default/files/gtd-pfpt-uk-tr-state-of-the-phish-2020-a4_final.pdf [accessed Mar 2021]

2. D. Milkovich, Dec 2020, '15 Alarming Cyber Security Facts and Stats', Cybint, [available online], available from: https://www.cybintsolutions.com/cyber-security-facts-stats/ [accessed Mar 2021]

3. n.d., '2020 Q3 Report: Data Breach QuickView', RiskBased Security, [available online] available from: https://pages.riskbasedsecurity.com/hubfs/Reports/2020/2020%20Q3%20Data%20Breach%20QuickView%20Report.pdf [accessed Mar 2021]