Cyber criminals have turned your employees into the weakest link of your IT security at your business
Cyber theft is a growing concern for many businesses, particularly when it comes to intellectual property. Hacking methods have become so sophisticated that they are now harder to detect until after a system has been compromised. The right security training is needed in order to keep you and your employees safe.
Three Types of Threats
Any business is vulnerable to three types of threats: insider, outsider, and bad IT. To ensure your business is protected, you must guard against all three types. The insider threat can come in the way of disgruntled employees or from workers who are negligent in how they handle information. External threats can be from organized criminal gangs or even your competition. Bad IT is a threat whenever your equipment is so old and outdated that it becomes an easy target for anyone in either of the other two groups. All three of these threats can be mitigated with the right security training and by implementing a hardware lifecycle replacement plan.
Insider Threat
You can take some proactive measures to reduce the odds of an inside attack. Enforcing separation of duties and monitoring user activities are recommended in order to reduce the odds of someone mishandling information. Good hiring practices that involve performing background checks should be considered if your industry handles sensitive data. Security training is also important if you are to reduce accidental breaches such as sending information to the wrong email address. Teaching your employees how to recognize spear-phishing attacks is also needed, as approximately 91% of all successful data breaches begin in this manner.
Outside Threat
The outside threat is perhaps the most dangerous because it cannot be seen. A group in another part of the world may be actively trying to hack in without you even being aware of it. As such, it is imperative that your employees recognize instances in which your security may be at risk. These days, it is especially important to educate workers on the dangers of cryptoware, which can encrypt all the files on an entire office network, requiring you to then pay a ransom to retrieve them. Developing a plan that will help employees deal with suspicious emails and files is also important, and will help you identify possible problems much sooner.
Bad IT Threat
Security training can also help you avoid problems due to outdated equipment. It creates security awareness with key stake holders that allows for further conversations about the state of overall technology within your business. Creating a hardware lifecycle replacement plan will make it easier to forecast budgets for future years, minimizing surprise expenditures and reduce security risks.
The right security training can help you implement best practices for doing everything from accessing public networks to backing up your systems. When coupled with an analysis of your system, it can even help you identify potential issues such as CEO fraud. This occurs when hackers spoof the email address of your CEO, and is often due to an email server being improperly configured.
Your organization faces different security issues than any other business. For this reason, you should choose security training that is tailored to your unique set of circumstances. It should also be provided on an ongoing basis to increase awareness and ensure your employees are always aware of and prepared to deal with the latest cyber security threats.
