Why is staff training crucial in combatting cyber-crime?

Cyber-crime doesn’t always have to be stopped by using the latest version of some high-tech software. Sure, it can help, however there are some very quick, easy and cost-effective solutions you can apply to help improve your business’s cyber security. What’s frustrating is the vast majority of cyber-attacks are easily preventable with basic understanding.

Where to start?

A recent report found that only 15% of IT decision makers felt their employees had a good understanding of cyber security, which is worrying when a cyber risk survey produced by the London Financial Times found that 58% of cyber-attacks are attributable to employee behaviour, such as negligence, accidental disclosure and lost or stolen devices. When they included vulnerabilities that exist due to a talent or skills shortage in cyber security, the percentage attributable to internal human issues is closer to 90%.

Unfortunately, employees are your company’s weakest link when it comes to security, as they have constant access to all your business’s data, stock and emails, so therefore are the most targeted. Taking small steps to educate the correct guidelines and procedures can make a huge impact in protecting your business from an attack.

Small changes can have a big impact…

In today’s modern business society it’s so easy for staff members to fall victim to cyber-crime which can have detrimental effects on your business. With the constant buzz in the office, all it takes is for a member of staff to be caught off-guard and click an email attachment which could install a virus that your company could never recover from. A recent report by the Institute of Directors (IoD) and Barclay’s revealed that 56% of businesses wouldn’t be able to survive a cyber-attack, proving that these threats are very real, and the impact is incredibly severe.

By investing in cyber security staff awareness training, employees can learn:

• The dangers of weak passwords
• How to spot phishing or ransomware emails
• Connecting devices and using USBs
• Social media security training
• The importance of installing relevant software updates

These may sound like simple procedures, but they go a long way in keeping your business safe!

Maintaining a cyber security culture

Once staff are more cyber-aware, it’s important to maintain a cyber security culture to keep employees alert to the constant threat. There are numerous ways your business can contribute to increase awareness.

In order to create a cyber security culture, it’s important that everyone is involved, whether that’s the Staff Administrator, IT Manager or a Sales Director. Your security strategy is only as strong as your weakest link. Everyone is a target, and everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions.

Making security fun and rewarding is a key element in keeping staff engaged in the best security procedures. Recognising success is crucial in making employees feel valued. When an employee spots an intrusion attempt and notifies IT right away, praising through a public employee gathering or all-staff email can go a long way to creating and maintaining a cyber security culture.

We’re here to help…

CyberGuard Technologies, a division of OGL Computer, a company that’s been in business for over 40 years, and understands the industry, can offer help and guidance on the best practices for being cyber-secure.

We understand the importance of regular, engaging methods of educating staff on how they can help prevent their company from falling victim to cyber-attacks. We offer thorough training to teach employees about data storage, application downloads, passwords, spam email, backing up work and much more.

To engage with staff, our awareness training offers an array of methods to keep office workers on their toes and includes:

• Monthly phishing attacks performed company-wide
• Bi-annual spear attacks looking at high-risk departments
• Annual whaling attacks targeting your senior executives
• Regular password checks
• On-demand video training

To find out more about our staff awareness training, click here: www.ogl.co.uk/awareness-training

 If you are looking for more high-level security training we also provide advanced cyber training. This is targeted at IT and security professionals to enable them to keep up-to-date on the latest developing threats. We are proud to have an exclusive agreement with Kaspersky Lab to provide the advanced training, which covers Threat Hunting, Incident Response and Digital Forensics.

To find out more about our advanced cyber training, click here: www.ogl.co.uk/advanced-cyber-training

Alternatively, If you would like to talk to one of our Security Consultants, contact us here and we’ll be happy to give you a call.

Sources:

https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/staff-awareness