With 64% of companies experiencing at least one form of cyber attack, no business is safe from cyber threats. However, even if you have cyber security protocols, such as the right technology and software, your staff could still be a weak link in your organisation.
If your employees use technology as part of their job, then they are your primary source of vulnerability when it comes to cyber threats. Cyber security breaches are becoming more sophisticated, so you can no longer presume your software will protect staff. You must also provide cyber security education and training to keep your business safe.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about cyber security awareness training for employees and its importance.
What Is Cyber Security Education?
Cyber security education and Security Awareness Training are broad terms that refer to knowledge about cyber security. Cyber security education aims to strengthen cyber security skills and awareness of potential threats and what to do if a breach occurs. Ensuring everyone is on the same page and understands the importance of cyber security.
Importance of Cyber Security Education
Cyber attacks are rising, meaning effective cyber security education and communication are more critical than ever. Information security is everyone’s responsibility, not just the job of the IT team, therefore you need to support employees exposed to possible threats who can also put your organisation at risk. Investing in cyber security education will benefit your business in a variety of ways.
Reduce Cyber Security Threats
One of the main ways education for cyber security benefits your business is that it adds security. Employees need to understand how cyber security software works and how to operate it for systems to be effective.
They also need to understand, recognise, and avoid the variety of threats out there. Common cyber attacks include:
- Phishing attacks
- Malware attacks
- Weak or reused passwords
- Ransomware
One of the most common forms of attack is phishing, where cyber criminals pose as legitimate organisations to trick the receiver into sharing sensitive information. These often come in the form of email and can appear extremely convincing. As many employees receive hundreds of emails daily, they may be unaware of these threats and easily expose your business.
Weak passwords are another threat. Poor password hygiene puts your organisation at risk. Employees may avoid complicated passwords or reuse passwords for multiple systems and websites for fear of forgetting them, but with a clear policy and / or the use of a password management tool, they will understand how to stay secure.
If employees receive cyber security training, they will be able to spot potential threats, reducing cyber security vulnerabilities for your business. Employees will no longer be the weak link for your organisation, and you will be able to work together to mitigate risks.
Respond Quickly
If you have embedded a cyber security incident response plan, staff will know how to respond if a breach occurs. Breaches can cause business downtime and costly consequences, including financial, legal, and reputational damage.
Cyber security incidences can cost UK businesses around £4,200 on average, but costs can be much higher, even putting many out of business.
It is essential to have open and on-going discussions about cyber security and have transparent policies in place to know how to report and respond to threats. You can reduce business downtime by having responsive actions and the right software. Staff need to be aware of these policies and understand them to act in the correct way, without delay.
Employee Satisfaction and Empowerment
Many employees suffer from high levels of cyber stress, often relating to cyber security risks, incidences, and admitting mistakes. Cyber security awareness training is essential to reduce stress and improve employee satisfaction, with mistakes needing to be reframed to seen as an opportunity to improve systems and the way people work. Employees will feel empowered with the knowledge they gain and not totally depend on software to protect them. As cyber security is everyone’s responsibility, all staff need to feel involved, empowered and be engaged.
Employees will understand how to navigate technology safely and how to respond in the best way to protect the business. They will understand the risks of human error and how vulnerable they are to attack.
Cyber security training / education can also make them feel included, and they may identify ways to improve your cyber security policy.
Stay Compliant
Cyber security awareness training is also becoming a requirement for many organisations sometimes driven by companies they work with and or as part of their cyber insurance.
If a cyber incident occurs, an investigation or legal action can happen. It will hurt your case and cause more damage if it is found that you did not take steps to protect employees, your clients, and your business. In fact, the majority of GDPR related fines are sited as being issued because of a lack of technical controls (such as security awareness training, patch management etc), the result of which was a successful breach.
Providing cyber security training helps you stay compliant and prevent incidents from occurring in the first place. It demonstrates that you care about your business and recognise the importance of keeping up with the evolving IT world.
Cyber Security Education and Training Tips
So, how can you make your employees your strongest cyber defence? There are many ways to introduce cyber security education and training in the workplace. Here are some of the best ways.
Communicate Impact of IT Security Incident
Do not hide security risks from employees. You need to openly communicate the impact a cyber security incident will have on your company. These consequences include:
- Financial losses
- Fines
- Legal Cases
- Loss of Customers
- Reputation damage
- Business closure
Be specific about the different ways IT security incidents happen. For example, the risks of phishing emails, accessing secure company data over public Wi-Fi, using weak passwords, or leaving a business laptop somewhere. Also, be clear about your cyber security policy, so employees know the best practices to follow and the consequences of not doing so.
Make Training Regular Accessible and Diverse
There is no use in introducing cyber security education if employees cannot understand it. Ensure communication is accessible to everyone, not just those who manage IT systems. Pick cyber security awareness training for employees that is relatable to your business.
Also, consider how you will deliver the cyber awareness training. How can you guarantee they will understand it? Allocate time for colleagues to complete training and consider hiring cyber security experts to deliver training that can be tailored to your organisation and the current threat landscape.
It is also important to consider the frequency of training. Set a policy for how frequently staff need to complete sessions. It is best to provide regular training instead of a one-off three-hour session, as the threat landscape is constantly changing, and staff can quickly forget long cyber security sessions. Regular training allows staff to learn from real-world incidents and keep up-to-date with different cyber security threats.
Email is probably not the best way to provide training. The average employee spends 28% of their day reading and responding to emails. Consider if there are other ways to provide training, such as:
- In-person training
- Online platforms
- Newsletters
- Posters
- Meetings
- Tests
Tests can include phishing simulations to help employees become more vigilant and practice the steps they will need to take if a threat gets past your defences. In-person training or professional platforms with interactive tests can also help employees remember how to respond.
Provide a system for staff to reach out if they have questions about cyber security, the training or if they think they have discovered a potential security weakness. Make sure staff feel comfortable about not understanding cyber security. Otherwise, they will remain a weak link as they will not feel confident to raise concerns when a breach occurs.
Have a set plan that employees understand and can access when they need it. A central platform for all cyber security training and documents is the best way to maintain effective cyber security communication with employees.
Provide Cyber Security Training on All Threats
Ensure your cyber security awareness training covers all threats colleagues face. You can outsource to an IT company to thoroughly assess the threats your business could come across to help improve your cyber security.
Provide steps on what employees can do if a breach occurs and warning signs to look out for, such as:
- Devices slowing down for no reason
- Multiple pop-ups appearing
- New programs, apps, or extensions being installed
- Losing control of tabs, keyboard, or mouse
Also, provide training around your cyber security policy and what to do if a security breach occurs. Provide cyber security training as part of your onboarding process, so employees implement best cyber security practices from the beginning.
Do not only provide one-off onboarding training. Cyber threats are continuing to change, develop, and advance. Your staff need to understand that threats are continuous and evolving.
Maintain open and ongoing communication about cyber security. Consider a required frequency for how often staff need to complete cyber security training if not using a scheduled method of delivery, such as an online portal.
The Best Cyber Security Education
There are many reasons why cyber security education and training are essential. If you want to protect your business, you need to communicate and educate employees. Only then will your cyber security be as effective as it can be.
You need a robust cyber security plan to keep your business secure. Koris365 can help with all your cyber security needs. Our experts have the knowledge to understand and provide quality IT services for your specific business needs.
We offer holistic layered approaches, or we can tackle an isolated and urgent risk. Why not start with a cyber security assessment to understand how effective your existing security controls are? Contact our experts or use the form below.