Approximately 90% of data breaches are the result of an employee falling for a phishing email. These emails attempt to impersonate a trusted peer, company, or figure of authority in the hopes that they will catch a worker unaware. The reason these attacks are so successful is that they rely on human error. Humans aren't perfect, which makes them the perfect target for social engineering attempts. In today's threat landscape it is not enough to have the most advanced firewall are strictest email policies. Your employees must be educated on the dangers of social engineering and how to avoid it. This is where security awareness training comes into play.
Security awareness training seeks to educate and inform employees about the dangers of social engineering and other threats that await them when they connect to the internet. Security awareness training gives employees the tools and knowledge to protect their organization by showing them what a phishing attempt looks like, what to do when confronted with one, and who to report it to. This training should also include education on other forms of social engineering that bad actors use including social media impersonation and malicious websites. Often times a successful cyberattack is just one false click away. It's important to note that security awareness training isn't a one time deal. It must be continually done to ensure that your employees have the most up to date knowledge.
Security awareness training shouldn't just be a suggestion for your organization, but rather a requirement. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, phishing attacks become more sophisticated and harder to spot. This is why educating employees on developments within the IT sphere and what to keep an eye on is important. Security Awareness training better secures the human aspect of cybersecurity by continually testing employees knowledge on important social engineering trends. Employers will create fake phishing emails that are sent out to their workers in the hopes that they will be able to parse them from legitimate emails and respond accordingly. These types of test need to be done continually to ensure your employees are always prepared for the possibility of attack.
Security Awareness training is also essential for educating new hires about the dangers that may face them when working remote, or checking their email. It's important to have a baseline that employers can build off of and continually educate.
Additionally, many organizations are required to conduct security awareness training once or twice a year to maintain compliance. For organizations to be compliant with HIPAA, PCI, and NIST (to name a few), security awareness training is expected.
Small-medium sized businesses that fall victim to a cyber attack are often financially ruined. In addition to this, the reputational and legal repercussions can have long standing negative effects.
If your organization is ready to add security awareness training to your overall cybersecurity plan, then CorpInfoTech can help. We partner with KnowBe4 to offer comprehensive security awareness training that educates users at any level. This training can help equip your employees with the knowledge to protect your IT and business assets from social engineering.
CorpInfoTech (Corporate Information Technologies) provides small to mid-market organizations with expert I.T. services including compliance assessment, cybersecurity penetration tests, and comprehensive business continuity planning services. CorpInfoTech can help organizations, quantify, create, refine, and mitigate the risks presented by business threatening disasters in whatever form they may be disguised.