Why Your Business Needs Employee Cybersecurity Training

Sep 30, 2021 | Blog

Did you know that one of the biggest threats to your business data was actually… hired by you?

 

We aren’t talking about a highly skilled hacker that falsified their resume, we’re talking about your everyday employees. It’s rarely intentional, but an uninformed staffer often — albeit accidentally — acts as the middleman for the cybercriminals who ARE trying to take your data.

 

Now, you don’t have to be looking over the shoulders of each employee every five minutes (none of you has the time for that). So, what CAN you do? Should you consider employee cybersecurity training?

 

The short answer is yes. The long answer is, well, YES!. Here’s why…

You’ve Got a Man on the Inside

Studies show that more than half of data breaches are a result of human error. It’s not that employees are looking to take you down from the inside, but accidents happen. Uninformed staff are especially susceptible to clickbait and can be a little too trusting with their information.

 

So, in a phrase, the bad news is, your biggest threats are on your payroll. The good news, though, is that you have the ability to turn your employees into your first line of defense.

 

Simply put, if your employees know how to recognize a security threat, they can be ready to avoid it and report it.

 

But Really, What Are the Odds

Phishing is when those with criminal intent disguise themselves as trustworthy sources and try to convince someone to open an email. That can then lead to the simple click of a link that allows the installation of malware, theft of sensitive information, or other criminal and sometimes devastating acts.

 

Based on data from 2020, 97% of email users were unable to recognize a sophisticated phishing email. It’s no surprise then that 30% of these users actually opened these insidious emails.

 

These statistics, however, don’t have to apply to your business! If 100% of your employees recognized these types of attacks, you can reduce your potential open rate significantly!

 

What About Spam Filters, Firewalls, and Antivirus Software?

Both firewalls and antivirus software are two essential components of your cybersecurity plan. Read more about the importance of antivirus software here!

 

If you have a good spam filtering service, this will be especially helpful in preventing unsolicited and harmful emails from ever entering your employees’ inboxes. Not all email providers have quality spam filtering in place, so this is something you may need to look into!

 

Yet, while each is a great starting point, they alone aren’t enough. If someone can send a corrupted email straight to your employee’s inbox, there isn’t much stopping an untrained employee from replying to a seemingly harmless request.

 

Cybersecurity Training Is a Win-Win

Cybersecurity training is a simple, cost-effective way to equip your employees with the tools to protect themselves and your business from cyberattacks. When they are aware of security threats, they can identify, even report, anything suspicious. And when the intended phishing victims don’t bite, hackers typically get frustrated and move on to another, perhaps easier target.

 

Cybersecurity training is an extensive topic, and we’ve got some more thoughts we’d like to share. Stay tuned for our next few blogs on the subject and some simple ways you can encourage a more cyber-safe workplace!

 

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To see what cybersecurity training could look like for your business, reach out to us!