As cyberattacks become more common and costly, businesses are increasingly investing in cybersecurity measures. While this is essential in today’s ever-evolving digital world, many businesses overlook a crucial element of cybersecurity: the human element.
It’s easy to assume that having security for your network, endpoints, servers, etc. would be enough to safeguard your business, but unfortunately, these systems are not impermeable. Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and widespread at an unprecedented rate, with new ways to bypass security measures emerging daily. In the event of a breach, your human firewall is your top defense. Is your business prepared?
Social Engineering: A Hidden Threat
Unlike the other components of your cybersecurity infrastructure, humans are unpredictable and often the most vulnerable part of your defense system. Hackers exploit this, making humans the prime target for cybercriminals.
Social engineering involves manipulation tactics used by hackers to steal confidential information, gain access to systems, or install malware for fraudulent purposes. Alarmingly, 98% of cyberattacks rely on social engineering techniques.
These techniques continue to be fruitful for cybercriminals, with 83% of people falling for social engineering scams, because of human error. The key to protecting your business from these attacks is preparing your workforce and fostering a strong security culture.
Establishing a Strong Security Culture
Many business owners mistakenly assume their workforce is prepared for these types of cyberattacks and will know how to properly mitigate the situation. This oversight can be costly, as the average cost of recovery from a social engineering attack is $130,000.
Employees must be equipped with the knowledge to recognize threats and know the protocols to follow if an attack occurs.
To help, we have put together a 6-step guide for strengthening your security culture:
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1. Assess current culture and establish a baseline
You can’t get to the finish line without a starting point: analyzing your company’s current security culture is the first step in identifying what gaps to close in your defenses. This includes:
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Knowledge assessment
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- Understand your employees’ attitudes and behaviors toward security measures. Identify any knowledge gaps and what vulnerabilities could be attributed to them.
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Evaluate security measures
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- Know what cyber security training employees have completed, if any, and its effectiveness. Evaluate the scalability of your current security measures to determine if you’ve outgrown them and work toward establishing a plan as your company grows.
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Security incidents
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- Analyze the effect and frequency of previous security incidents to gain insight on weaknesses and areas for improvement.
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Engage leadership
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- Involve management in the security culture building process. They could provide valuable insights and will be the ones to set the precedent of commitment to cybersecurity culture.
Gathering the information stated above should paint a picture of your current security culture, allowing you to pinpoint vulnerabilities and work toward patching them.
2. Set clear, measurable goals
With a clear understanding of what your company’s current standing is, you can set goals and objectives that will positively impact on the strength of your security culture.
For employees to put forth their best effort in improving security practices, goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This will allow them to not only be aware of but understand objectives and what improvement looks like. For example:
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Goal:
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- Strengthen network security by enhancing employee awareness regarding safe password practices and reducing the frequency or password-related breaches.
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Objectives:
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- Increase the percentage of employees using strong, unique passwords.
- Increase number of employees using multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Conduct regularly scheduled password audits.
With clear guidelines, your business will be able to better measure progress and be aware of when goals are achieved.
3. Build a detailed plan
Once goals and objectives are decided, develop a step-by-step plan to achieve the desired results. Details of the plan should include:
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Awareness campaigns
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- Identify the groups in your business that need cybersecurity training. Based on the level of training and involvement each group will require, develop different messaging to introduce them to the program and help them navigate through it.
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Tools and resources
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- Be sure to provide your employees with the necessary equipment to make the plan succeed. This could include things such as training modules, installing security software, and exposing them to simulations.
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Security training employee engagement
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- Include a security training curriculum to engage and educate employees. With the use of training programs, employees can thoroughly and quickly learn about cybersecurity practices, allowing them to implement them in a timely manner.
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Measurement and metrics
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- Set up a process to regularly measure the effectiveness of the plan through metrics such as training completion rates, security incidents, or test results.
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Implementation timeline
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- Establish a timeline with expectations for specific milestones, check-ins, and evaluations. This lets you make sure your initiatives are on track.
Incorporating these elements into your plan will ensure it is actionable and concrete, with clear steps for implementation.
4. Implementation of Program
The completed plan should be approved and understood by management, as they will be driving initiatives in employee adoption of new policies and procedures. When communicating the plan make sure to do the following:
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Explain purpose
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- Communicating why the implementation of the program is necessary and what expectations are in place will push forward the initiative.
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Delegate responsibility
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- Make sure all departments and administration understand the importance of the plan and that they know what they must contribute to making it successful. This will vary from employee to employee.
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Emphasize communication
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- Employees should not shy away from asking questions or clarifying aspects of the plan whether it be the training, expectations, or new tools being introduced. Foster a welcoming environment that encourages open communication.
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Tailor learning experiences
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- Not everyone will need the same amount of training. Elements such as experience, data access, previous knowledge, etc.
5. Evaluate results
After the plan implementation, evaluate the effectiveness of the security program by conducting an assessment, testing knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes regarding security. If effective, these assessments should show a reduction in risk and help you gauge the culture’s evolution throughout the course of the program.
Communicate results to employees and management, celebrating improvements. Based on the new data, refine aspects of the plan, reflect on missed objectives, and adjust accordingly.
6. Continuous learning and adaptability
It is important to not only continue to tweak the already existing program but be adaptable. Cybersecurity training is not a one-time implementation, but an ongoing process that will continue to evolve with new security concerns.
Part of building your security should be encouraging employees to always be open to learning and adopting new policies. This type of attitude will be important as new threats emerge and there needs to be the adoption of best practices.
The flexibility to quickly train employees about evolving threats, provide refresher training, and continuously testing knowledge will foster longevity of a positive, strong cybersecurity culture.
Added Benefits
Not only will your business be less vulnerable to cyberattacks, but a cybersecurity training program would incur the following added benefits:
- Prevents financial and reputational losses.
- Empowers employees to act independently and confidently in protecting company assets.
- Enables quicker responses to threats.
- Ensures compliance with industry regulations.
- Adds value to current and potential clients.
Empowering Your Workforce for Lasting Cybersecurity Protection
In today’s security landscape, technology alone cannot fully protect your business. Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT concern—everyone in your organization can be a potential target. Building a strong security culture is key not only to safeguard your data but also to support your business’ continued growth.
Each business and industry have unique needs, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Makios Security Awareness Training offers a customized solution tailored to your specific needs. By implementing our program, your employees will become a strength, not a vulnerability.
to learn how implementation of Security Awareness Training can help safeguard your business.
