Cybersecurity Awareness: a Must-Have for Every Company
The majority of successful phishing attacks happen due to human error. A company can arm itself and its employees against this in many ways. Cybersecurity awareness is indispensable for this.
If you don't lock your bicycle, it can be stolen. The same goes for information. Therefore, different types of phishing call for different types of security. An important security tactic that applies to all forms of phishing is security awareness. When you address the weakest links in your security system - people - by making them aware of the potential dangers, you significantly reduce the risk of being hacked.
What is cybersecurity awareness?
Cybersecurity awareness, which includes phishing awareness, is the knowledge and awareness of employees about the protection of the information of the company they work for. This information can be both physical - for example USB sticks or paper documents - and digital - such as passwords or emails. End user security awareness thus seeks to give people a sense of responsibility.
Why is it important?
When it comes to information, people are too quick to assume their spam filter or IT service will protect them. Because of this mentality, many still fall victim to phishing, which can cause them to lose info, money or even their identity. Data from the company itself can also be stolen, deleted or misused. 88% of all data breaches are caused by human error. All the more reason to make sure employees are aware of the potential consequences of their carelessness.
How do you raise cybersecurity awareness?
The goal of cybersecurity awareness is for people to behave according to their knowledge. Just because people know phishing emails exist, doesn't mean they can effectively recognise them and deal with them correctly. Security awareness is not something you learn overnight. In other words, it requires repetition and regular refreshing. Recent research shows that repetition every six months gives the best results. The way in which security awareness is taught also plays a role. Videos and interactive methods such as quizzes ensure optimal awareness.
On top of that, clear communication is crucial. A company can say that cybersecurity is of paramount importance to it, but without communicating to its employees how they should approach it in concrete terms, it will not create security awareness. Through security awareness training, a company can educate its employees on how to handle data more safely. Some examples of what you can learn are:
- Becoming aware of what kind of information is in your hands and how to handle it. Sensitive data, passwords and company or trade secrets are not simply forwarded or left lying around.
- Protecting digital data correctly via secure passwords, two-factor authentication (2FA), firewalls, backups...
- Properly protecting physical data via sealing, destroying confidential documents before you throw them away...
- Staying abreast of all types of phishing (including smishing, vishing, CEO fraud, etc.), malware, social engineering... How do you avoid them and what do you do if you did fall victim to them?
How can Phished help you?
A security awareness test can provide an overview of how far cybersecurity awareness has progressed in your company. Phished notices for example that after an initial security awareness test an average of 50% of the employees click on a link from a phishing email. After our thorough cybersecurity awareness training through customised phishing simulations, videos, and interactive quizzes, it reduces to about 5%.
