Proper employee cybersecurity training is vital to every organization’s defensive posture. Employees create, transport, and manage massive amounts of digital material every day, so education in proper data protection is paramount. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2022, human errors by employees or contractors were responsible for 21% of breaches experienced by the organizations interviewed. Such mistakes damage an organization’s reputation, compound legal fees, and eat up company time and resources addressing the fallout of a data breach.
Firewalls, Multi-Factor Authentication, and Endpoint Security Software serve as important tools to protect data, but if individuals are not trained to use them correctly, they are far less effective. Employees need to understand why cybersecurity is important as well as how to use the tools to be successful.
Cybersecurity Training for Your Organization
There are multiple avenues to go about employee cybersecurity training, depending on the industry and budget. Outside organizations can be booked to present on specific cybersecurity topics or provide education for certifications. Employees can take online courses at their own pace. An organization may want to create the training in-house, tailored to its particular needs.
In choosing a program, one must consider the structure and culture of the company. What would resonate most with the staff and provide the best outcomes for protecting data?
Topics To Consider
No matter how your organization decides to tackle cybersecurity training, there are certain concepts that should be covered in a successful employee education program.
Social Engineering Tactics
Social Engineering is defined by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as an attack when “an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems”.
One common form of Social Engineering is phishing. This is when a malicious actor roots around for proprietary or sensitive information while masquerading as a trusted individual or entity. These criminals can hide a corrupt link in an otherwise normal-looking email and compromise an entire system, or pretend to be frantic executives who have forgotten their account password. Some forms of phishing, such as whale phishing or spear phishing, specifically target individuals with a higher likelihood of possessing sensitive or lucrative information.
Review Your Incident Response Plan
Make sure employees know what to do in the event of a cybersecurity incident. An organization with a healthy cybersecurity culture will have a plan to address all types of potential security incidents, and each staff member needs to know the steps they need to take should the worst happen.
Learn more about creating an Incident Response Plan so you can react quickly when seconds matter the most.
Hardware, Software, and Digital Training
Employees use a wide range of technologies on a daily basis. Their use or misuse of a mobile device, software program, access code, or communication channel could significantly impact the organization’s security posture. Discuss how to use all the tools they have at their disposal. This is just as important for remote workers or contractors — anyone who accesses your company’s network needs to be trained.
For work from home employees, guide them through creating a secure home office, and provide tools and tips for traveling for work with data and devices. Encourage a security mindset in the office by providing physical safeguards like privacy screens, locking storage cabinets, and security cameras.
Compliance
If organizations handle personally identifiable information (PII), medical information, military information, etc., there may be specific compliance requirements and cybersecurity legislation that is applicable. Common examples include GDPR (if you do business with European Union citizens) and HIPAA (if you work with patients or handle medical information), but there are many others. CSO has a handy glossary of regulations.
Timing
While annual training is a decent starting place, there should be refreshers. Consistent reminders communicate to staff that data security and network protection matter deeply to the organization. Encourage engagement in the office on the topic with posters (like these free downloads from InfoSec), incentives for completing courses and quizzes, update reminder emails, and speakers. Once a culture is established, it should continue to develop organically. If employees begin to express interest in heading initiatives, provide the means to do so. A ‘grassroots’ respect for cybersecurity can be an integral aspect of a company. Streamlining the process for employees to report vulnerabilities, ask questions, and increase their knowledge can greatly improve an organization’s security posture.
Resources
Looking to begin on your journey of creating a culture of cybersecurity in your office? We have gathered some resources to help you get well on your way to a more developed data security culture.
NOTE: DriveStrike is not endorsing any product or services linked below. Links are provided as examples of training tools. Please consult with cybersecurity, IT, legal, and HR departments, as well as any regulatory bodies, before making training choices.
Videos and Interactive Material
- Security Awareness Video Playlist created by National Cybersecurity Alliance and Adobe
- Google Phishing Quiz
- Choose Your Own Adventure Cybersecurity Game from InfoSec
Guides
- United States Government Ready.gov IT Disaster Recovery Information
- The National Conference of State Legislators Security Breach Notification Laws Search Tool
- Federal Trade Commission Data Breach Response Guide
- Federal Trade Commission CyberPlanner Tool
- CSO Glossary of Data Security Regulations
- Stay Safe Online Tips for Increasing Employees’ Privacy Awareness
- National Cybersecurity Alliance Culture and Awareness Resources
Courses and Classes and Programs
- InfoSec has courses, training, tools, and free resources for training and certifying staff
- Global Cyber Alliance Free Classes for Businesses
- National Cybersecurity Alliance CyberSecure My Business program and resources
Data Protection can be complicated. By providing employees with cybersecurity training, an organization is better prepared to face the digital frontier with confidence.