Cyberattacks increased 50% in 2021. The statistics are sobering. Experts say that there is a cyberattack attempt every 11 seconds. There is no industry that is immune. Cybercrime hits hard. The downtime and recovery costs of a ransomware attack can cost more than $1000 per minute. Even when there is no high-cost ransom, companies risk lost revenue, loss of productivity, excessive costs to mitigate, and a loss of credibility in the eyes of customers and stakeholders. The fallout from a cyberattack can last years and even put the business at risk for closure. No sector is immune from the risks of cybercrime.
Many businesses think of antivirus, firewalls, and encryption when they think of cyber security but, surprisingly, a sizable number of breeches are employee-related. In 2020, 23% of data breaches were the result of human error, 7% were the result of malicious insiders, and 17% were the result of employees being conned by phishing scams.
In some corporate cultures, employees view cyber security as the responsibility of the IT department, but nothing could be further from the truth. The best risk management involves and educates every employee. Too often, employees will take shortcuts that put organizations at risk. Hackers who use social engineering techniques prey on untrained employees.
Your employees are as important as the most modern software and hardware, they are either a part of your cybersecurity strategy or they are your weakest link. Each individual has a role to play and there are no cookie-cutter solutions. The best training programs will address the top security issues for employee-related security risks including vulnerability to phishing scams, password carelessness, misdelivery of sensitive information, and ignoring security patch updates.
Investing in a well-trained workforce that will be prepared and creating a safe environment where employees will rapidly disclose errors are both important to protecting your company. Training programs can be designed to foster trust and two-way communication. Studies show that often employees will bury or hide the possible breaches for fear of reprisal. Making employees feel safe reporting possible incidents will improve containment and remediation if there is an incident.
Employees reap the benefits of high-quality training as well. They are more likely to feel competent with technology. There will be less anxiety around self-reporting issues because they trust the organization is committed to resolving the issues, not penalizing employees for errors. The employees carry this new knowledge wherever they go. They will be able to detect and avoid online activity that increases the risk of cyberattacks at work and in their personal life as well. They will be able to see through the manipulation of phishing emails and avoid sites that have a strong potential to compromise the system through viruses and trojans. They will understand that password security and security updates are not practices that reduce their efficiency, they are key responsibilities of their positions and play an important part in safeguarding company assets, client information, and their own data.
A successful cybersecurity training program will:
- Tailor the training to meet the needs of your organization.
- Provide information to ensure that your employees are prepared for current and future threats.
- Ensure that every employee has the training and tools to keep your organization safe.
- Create a feeling of security and a culture where preventing cyberattacks is everyone’s responsibility.
Contact Us Today
Atruent is a fully managed IT service company headquartered in Maryland with experience in a wide range of sectors. We understand that all businesses need to protect their company from cyber threats. We believe that getting to know our clients is key to developing meeting an organization’s needs. We make it a point to understand your business and its operations structure and process and tailor our services and support to match your business needs.
At Atruent, we still put a value on face-to-face relationships and connecting with our clients. Let us partner with you to assess your security risks and design and implement a cyber security training plan that will increase employee awareness of cyber threats and their role in safeguarding your business.
You can reach us Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After-hours and weekends, we’re always on-call and a phone call or email away, whatever time zone you may be in. Contact us for a free analysis and take the first step towards custom cyber training for your team.