With the increase in cyber attacks, it is time for companies to make their employees aware of the risks and dangers. Annual cyber awareness training is the first step towards an effective defense strategy. Knowledge of cyber security is necessary, regardless of the industry. Any business where a computer and internet connection is used can fall prey to a cyber attack.
This article provides five useful tips that you can apply immediately to create more cyber awareness among your employees.
Make cyber security challenging
Make sure that cyber security is something challenging. You can achieve this through games, competitions, and other activities that ensure employee inclusiveness. Nobody is waiting for annual boring meetings in which the dangers are endlessly explained in an hour-long session.
Create a positive culture
Cybersecurity must not be a matter of restrictions. We regularly see organisations where they only implement restrictions. For instance, certain websites may not be visited, various systems and functions are blocked, and making the wrong decision sometimes has unpleasant consequences. It is important that everyone in the organisation feels safe to ask questions.
Provide secure passwords
According to best practice, passwords and passphrases should contain at least eight characters, consisting of numeric and alphabetical characters. The use of unique characters and upper and lower case letters can increase password security. Be careful with the use of standard terms, nouns, and dates. Passwords need to be updated every 90 days and can not be reused.
Train staff to recognize phishing
Phishing is a common tactic that hackers use to attack companies. By teaching your employees how to recognize phishing attempts, you can prevent a successful attack. Phishing emails often appear legitimate. They are often disguised as something employees expect, such as a password reset email, an HR message, or a delivery confirmation. Through phishing simulations, you can test the knowledge and alertness of your employees in practice. Furthermore, our blog could is a great source of information to stay up-to-date. We recently wrote an article with great cyber security tips for employees.
Provide a cyber security training program
Employees need to know how to recognise security risks. If employees know how to respond quickly to a cyber security incident, this can help limit the damage. Employees who understand the impact of a cyber attack on their business are more likely to improve cyber security.
A continuous cyber security awareness training program is an excellent approach to do this. Cyber security training should be required for all employees, managers, and IT specialists. For new employees, this program should be part of the onboarding process. Training is necessary on an ongoing basis to create a culture of security.
A cyber-secure culture surpasses sporadic cyber awareness training. Our comprehensive Cyber Security Awareness training programs help companies around the world protect themselves from the ever-growing cyber attacks. Our training courses receive regularl updates to keep pace with ever-changing technology. As new technologies emerge daily, cybercriminals are also constantly devising new attack techniques. But you won’t have to worry about that, because we keep a close eye on these innovations and adjust our training programs accordingly.