What’s the weakest link when it comes to IT infrastructure security?
People.
Yes, employees are the most likely reason there’s a breach. It could happen in a thousand different ways. Employees could have an unsecured thumb drive that they lose, someone could leave a company laptop in their car, or the classic falling for a social engineering email hack.
If there’s ever a breach in company security, it likely comes back to people being careless or falling victim to a shady actor. It’s never like the movies where a hacker works their way through a government system with 20 screens open and text scrolling by quicker than anyone can read.
That means ensuring employees know what to look for and how to deal with cyber threats in their daily work activities is essential. How do you ensure they know how to deal with it?
Training.
Cyber threats loom at every digital corner, and safeguarding your company’s IT infrastructure isn’t just important, it’s essential. Each employee is a gatekeeper to your organization’s sensitive data and valuable assets.
Corporate security training is the tool that fortifies the gatekeepers, employees. It empowers them to make good decisions when bad actors try to trick them.
This post examines the importance of quality corporate security training for all employees. You’ll see why it is essential in securing your organization’s digital backbone. I’ll also shed light on why investing in the knowledge and skills of your workforce is a non-negotiable priority.
As organizations rely on digital tools to manage their business and data, all employees, inside and outside IT, must understand cyber security at least at a basic level. Cyber threats are ever-evolving, and corporate technical training must ensure employees know what to look for.
Quality corporate security training ensures company digital data is secure.
By understanding the dance between technology and human behavior, we can see the critical role of training and awareness in mitigating risks and security company technology against potential breaches.
Knowledge is power. That power either belongs to hackers or your employees; it’s your choice. Read on to learn why safeguarding your company’s IT infrastructure with quality corporate security training is necessary.
The Cyber Threat Landscape
The first step in safeguarding your company’s IT infrastructure is understanding the cyber threat landscape. Threats are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Hackers and malicious actors always look for vulnerabilities to exploit, whether through phishing emails, malware attacks, or other social engineering tactics.
There are always new terms coming about as attacks get more complex. It used to be that phishing was the big attack vector. Now there are new methods such as smishing (SMS phishing), which I was familiar with but just learned the term.
By understanding the various types of cyber threats, you can better prepare your workforce to identify and respond to potential risks. These are some of the most common methods used to access your company data.
- Phishing: Hackers send emails or messages pretending to be from a legitimate source to trick employees into revealing sensitive information like passwords.
- Malware: Malicious software like viruses, ransomware, or spyware is used to gain unauthorized access to the system.
- Brute Force Attack: Hackers try all possible combinations of passwords until they find the right one to access the system.
- SQL Injection: By inserting malicious code into a website’s input fields, hackers can manipulate the database to access sensitive information.
- Social Engineering: Hackers manipulate individuals within the company to divulge confidential information or perform certain actions.
- DNS Spoofing: By redirecting DNS queries to malicious sites, hackers can trick users into visiting fake websites and stealing their information.
Staying up-to-date with the latest trends in cybercrime can help you prepare for new threats and ensure employees are trained to know what to look for. By arming your employees with knowledge about the ever-changing cyber threat landscape, you empower them to protect your company’s sensitive data proactively.
The Weakest Link
What’s the most common theme in the current cybersecurity landscape? You’re right if you guess that people are the weakest link. No matter how robust your technical defenses may be, all it takes is one employee falling victim to a phishing email or inadvertently downloading malware for a breach to occur.
Among the most common methods for hackers to access company data, only a few aren’t directly related to employee weaknesses. Brute force attack and SQL injection aren’t accomplished by tricking people, that’s it. The rest all have to do with tricking employees.
Employees will always be the weakest link with technology security.
This is why investing in quality corporate security training is essential. By providing comprehensive training programs that educate employees about what to watch for, you can significantly reduce the risk of human error leading to a security incident.
With ongoing education and a way to report suspicious requests, IT infrastructure can be kept mostly safe. Of course, efforts on the side of IT, both updating systems and maintaining a security environment, are essential. But assuming you have that in place, people are the weakest link.
Dealing with the weakest link comes down to training employees in cybersecurity awareness and what they can look for. Let’s take a look at that!
Employee Awareness in Cybersecurity
IT is typically pretty good about keeping systems secure from a hardware and software standpoint. But what about the people? That part comes down to employee awareness. Employees will know how to deal with cyber threats with the right blend of communication and training.
Employees must be aware of what they must look for, what they must do, and the repercussions if they don’t do it. Repercussions could include employee discipline, company fines, loss of trust, etc. Digital break-ins could cost an organization millions!
Look at these data breaches and how much they cost these organizations. The cost isn’t simply financial, either. So how do you ensure employees are aware?
Training employees properly and regularly ensures they know what threats to look for.
First, employees need to understand the potential consequences of their actions and how their behavior can impact the organization’s overall security posture. Employees should be aware of the possible risks associated with sharing sensitive information, both within and outside the organization.
Share your username and password via email when requested. Come on now.
Training programs should also educate employees about emerging threats and guide how to respond in case of a security incident. When employees have a sense of responsibility and accountability, you create an environment where everyone actively protects company assets.
Addressing Specific Organizational Risks
Corporate security training should cover common topics such as proper password creation and management, safe browsing habits, recognizing social engineering tactics, and securely handling sensitive data. By instilling these practices into your workforce’s daily routines, you create a culture of security consciousness where every employee understands their role in protecting the organization.
Every organization has its unique set of cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities. That means it’s crucial to effectively tailor corporate security training to address these specific risks.
Start by thoroughly assessing your company’s IT infrastructure and identify areas most susceptible to attacks. This could be weak passwords, outdated software, or a lack of preparedness for dealing with potential breaches.
To properly address the risk you must first know the risks.
Once you have identified weak areas, develop targeted training or communications addressing these vulnerabilities. For example, if weak passwords are a concern, provide guidance on creating strong passwords and possibly implement multi-factor authentication to cover your bases.
By customizing company security training to focus on the areas that pose the most significant risk to your organization, you ensure that your employees receive relevant and practical knowledge they can apply in their day-to-day work.
Simulated Phishing Exercises for Real-World Preparedness
This one is controversial, but you may deem that the benefit outweighs the controversy. While I can’t recommend it (and it’s not really training), companies still do it. It’s a bit manipulative and judgemental, likely causing bad blood with employees.
This is done through a simulated phishing exercise that involves sending mock phishing emails to employees and tracking their responses. These exercises aim to gauge the effectiveness of training and identify who might still be a risk. They might not like being called out to the IT department like that, though.
Cybersecurity training can also be built to test employees’ real-world knowledge through realistic scenarios-based learning and tests. This is a better method because it doesn’t put employees on blast. They can be simulated while not calling anybody out.
Regularly Update and Reinforcement Security Training
Like all training, especially corporate technical training, the content must be updated. That means it should be revisited at least yearly to ensure the most accurate information is being communicated.
Don’t let training get old; always revamp old eLearning, especially when it concerns your company’s security. Corporate security training should not be a one-time event.
Security training must be reinforced with employees, and the training itself must be regularly updated.
All training must be regularly updated to remain relevant and effective.
Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, and training improvements can always be made. By staying abreast of these developments, training can be updated accordingly and ensure that the workforce remains well-equipped to tackle evolving threats.
This ongoing engagement keeps cybersecurity at the forefront of employees’ minds and helps solidify their understanding of best practices and what to watch for. People forget, so regular reminders or short refreshers are helpful.
Measuring the Value of Corporate Security Training
How do you measure the value of a lock on the door of your office? Burglars not breaking in and stealing stuff. It doesn’t earn you money, but it sure does save you money!
It is the same with security training. Just like employees need to know how to use the lock (I sure hope they do), they must also know not to let someone follow them through the door or give someone their keycard to fix something.
That would be training for the person at the front desk, but with IT systems, many more employees can access that front desk. Hackers know they have many more potential paths into your company’s system.
The value of security training comes from it saving money, reputation, and disciplinary actions.
So, the value it creates is in the money it saves your organization. Lawsuits, government intervention, lack of trust in your business, and more. These are all costs of not taking network security seriously.
Investing in quality corporate security training is not just about mitigating risks, though. It’s also about ensuring a positive value that can be measured. To measure the effectiveness of security training, key performance indicators (KPIs) must be established that align with your organization’s security goals.
Some KPIs for measuring the value of corporate security training include:
- Reduction in the number of security incidents
- Decrease in the average cost per security incident
- Increase in employee awareness and knowledge about cybersecurity
- Improvement in employees’ ability to identify and respond to potential threats
By determining the right KPIs and tracking them, you can assess the impact of security training programs and make data-driven decisions to improve their effectiveness.
Everyone Plays A Part In Company Security
Technology security isn’t just for the IT department. Every employee plays a role in company technology security. That means every employee must be trained equally.
Software developers and IT staff will have different types of security training, but all employees must have some security training. It starts with leadership setting a strong example by prioritizing cybersecurity and championing best practices.
When employees see that their superiors take security seriously, they are likelier to do the same.
Everyone must be trained and keep an eye out for potential threats. That means a simple way to report threats must be readily available to all employees. So, employees must know what to look for and be able to easily report it if they see something.
Wrap Up
Safeguarding your company’s IT infrastructure is not just about implementing technical controls; it’s about empowering employees to be the first line of defense against cyber threats. Quality corporate security training is vital in equipping employees with the knowledge to protect your organization’s digital assets.
By understanding the cyber threat landscape, addressing human vulnerabilities, and fostering a culture of security consciousness, a resilient defense against potential breaches can be developed. Regular updates and reinforcement activities enhance the effectiveness of corporate security training.
Investing in quality corporate security training is an investment in your organization’s future. By prioritizing cybersecurity education and awareness, you empower your workforce to stay one step ahead of cyber adversaries and ensure the long-term security of your company’s IT infrastructure.
We’d love to chat if you’d like to explore working with experts in corporate technical training, including effective security training. Schedule a free consultation to discuss how we can work with your security experts to build effective training for corporate security.