Despite the ongoing threat of cyber attacks, Security Awareness Training remains a major challenge for management teams.
Identifying what training needs to be delivered, who needs to be trained and a lack of employee engagement are all common obstacles that organisations face when it comes to implementing Cyber Security Awareness Training.
Ultimately, security is a people problem. Humans are often a key target for cybercrime and cyber attacks are continuing to increase in size, sophistication, and cost. In fact, studies show 90% of data breaches are caused by human error.
Phishing emails in particular are a hugely popular technique designed to take advantage of low levels of user security awareness, accounting for a third of all data breaches in 2019.
Last year, more than 4 billion records were compromised, making 2019 the worst year on record for data breaches. Unfortunately, 2020 is also on pace to be a devastating year for data breaches with companies such as Marriott, Nintendo, and Easyjet experiencing the crippling consequences of a cyber attack.
Most recently, Twitter declared it had fallen victim to a coordinated social engineering attack which saw the accounts of politicians, celebrities, and tech moguls send out tweets offering to pay a sender double any payment they made to a Bitcoin wallet address. The hackers also reset the passwords of 45 of the 130 accounts targeted.
Today, any lapse in cyber security can have real repercussions for organisations. One simple error can lead to serious damage for both the individual and the company, who must report the incident to regulators as well as their customers. The cost of a security breach has never been higher, and customers are increasingly willing to walk away from businesses and platforms that can’t protect their data. As a result, the risk for many companies is too great to ignore.
What is Cyber Security Awareness Training?
Cyber Security Awareness Training educates employees about the cyber security landscape. Using a range of learning methods, Security Awareness Training helps to raise awareness of cyber security threats, reduce the risks associated with cyber attacks and embed a culture of security compliance in your organisation.
All employees, at every level of the organisation should receive Security Awareness Training to ensure they have the skills required to identify an attack. Cyber awareness training should be engaging and informative to ensure that staff understand what is required of them and the importance of their role in safeguarding the organisation’s sensitive data.
Benefits of Cyber Security Awareness Training
The key challenge for organisations is how to tackle the ever-changing threat landscape. Security Awareness Training is the best place to start to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. By training your staff with the information required to recognise and react to cyber threats, this will mitigate risk and embed a culture of cyber security awareness.
Security Awareness Training helps organisations to:
- Enhance organisational resilience against cyber threats
- Create a shift in employee mindset and behaviour change towards information security
- Generate buy-in and commitment towards cyber security initiatives
- Improve audit results and demonstrate regulatory compliance
- Reduce human error and mitigate security risks
Implementing Successful Cyber Security Awareness Training
With regulators and auditors seeking evidence of your awareness activities, the key is to simply get started with your Security Awareness Training program. A high tech solution is not always necessary with tactics such as cyber awareness posters proving to be extremely effective and easy to produce.
When thinking about putting together a Security Awareness Training program for your workforce, bear in mind that most people spend very little, if any, time thinking about this issue. Cyber security is a tough subject to make interesting. However, it’s the responsibility of the organisation to make its security communications palatable and even enjoyable, if possible, for its employees. Obtaining user participation in your cyber awareness programs is one of the key measures of success.
The Ultimate Guide to Security Awareness Training
Cyber Security Awareness for Dummies acts as an indispensable resource for implementing behavioural change and creating a culture of cyber awareness.
In this guide, you will learn:
- What cyber security awareness means for your organisation
- How to implement a cyber risk awareness campaign
- The critical role of policies to establish safe baselines
- How to maintain momentum and staff engagement
- 10 cyber security awareness best practices
