When we think of cybersecurity, oftentimes our minds go straight to the bad guys. The hackers, cybercriminals, and the dark web. The truth is, while these are the instigators behind the attacks, they are not our biggest threat. As shocking as that may sound, our biggest threat is our employees – including you. Oftentimes owners, supervisors, and IT staff are some of the worst offenders.
Sure, our employees are good, honest, trustworthy people. After all, we trust them with our corporate finances, client interactions, and day-to-day operations. But they are, after all, only human and unfortunately, that puts our cyber safety in jeopardy every day.
Human error is the leading cause of most cyberattacks. This has less to do with employees being vindictive or malicious and a lot more from curiosity and carelessness. No longer is it safe to assume our employees know or even understand our company’s cybersecurity protocol or best practices. It’s a matter of taking responsibility to ensure they know, comprehend, and agree to adhere to it.
Let’s explore a few ways we can educate our team to be our best allies and defense rather than the gateway to attacks.
- Email Education
Phishing scams and malicious links sent through emails are the two most common areas for errors to happen. A study in 2019 by Webroot revealed that nearly 49% of employees admit to clicking a link from an unknown sender that they didn’t request. Even more startling is that 29% admitted to doing this more than once.
It is no longer enough to rely on spam filters and quarantines. Employee education must be at the forefront of all cybersecurity plans.
- Web Browsing
Many companies either can’t or don’t limit their employees to internet access. There are many positions that require free reign to research, make purchases, communicate with customers, etc., making restrictions a bit of a hindrance. The flip side of this is that employees can visit malicious websites without even realizing it.
Like emails, it is imperative that employees learn to avoid clicking links, to steer clear of unknown websites, and to only enter personal, corporate, or financial information on trusted sites.
- Password Strength
Humans are notorious creatures of habit. We tend to park in the same vicinity every day, we have morning and evening routines, and even choose the same passwords for multiple accounts. Bad password habits create whole new levels of vulnerability and risks. By implementing password protocols and even password management, you are able to reduce and mitigate some of that risk.
The Networks Plus team understands this might not be at the top of your daily to-do list. That’s why we have a group of experts available to help and assist you in not only getting these protocols in place but in educating your employees on these best practices.
If you want help helping your team, call us today!
