Why Train Your Team in Cyber Security?

Published on 31 August 2022

Cyber security attacks and cyber threats are not going away, in fact, they have increased since the pandemic. Cybercriminals are opportunistic, so when everyone was ordered to quickly switch from office-based to home-based, they took advantage. Since then, cybercrime has remained high.

There are many different types of cyber security threats that can be harmful to your company. Unfortunately, it does not matter how much cyber security software you have installed if your employees are not cyber security trained. The most common way for a cyber security criminal to successfully gain access to your network is using human error. There is a reason why 83% of successful attacks were the result of phishing attempts. The best way to combat this is regular cyber security training. According to the Lucy Security 96% of companies agreed that more cyber security awareness helped improve their overall cyber security defences. Essentially your cyber security is only as good as your least trained employee.

The cost of a cyber security breach can be devastating, particularly for small to medium businesses. Not only will you lose hard-earned valuable customers, but your reputation will also be damaged and it may be difficult to bounce back. On top of this, you could incur fines from the ICO if they find that a cyber security breach was the result of negligence, like the cyber security breach that happened to British Airways. They were fined £20 million by the ICO for cyber security negligence. 

Human error is the most common way for a cyber security criminal to gain access to your network and databases. To combat this, you need to train your staff when they first join your company and keep up regular training so that cyber security remains top of mind and your staff stays vigilant.

How to Train your Employees on Cyber Security

Cyber Security from the start

When a new member of staff joins your team, use this time to train them on your cyber security policies. 45% of employees do not think that cyber security is their responsibility. Make sure they understand that cyber security is a team effort and a shared responsibility.

Live Fire Testing

This is when you simulate a cyber security attack on your employees without their knowledge. These tests are normally done as a phishing attack. The aim is not to punish the employees who fall for the phishing test. The aim is to highlight to you which employees or departments may need further training. It is also a great chance to see if there are any gaps in your cyber security training that need to be added.

Engaging Cyber Security Training

Cyber security training is essential; however, it can become tedious and time-consuming for your employees. This can lead to staff not paying attention and missing vital pieces of information, which in turn increases their vulnerability to cyber security attacks.

Long videos and lectures with lots of technical jargon will result in employees becoming overwhelmed by all the new technical terms and switch off.  Keep it simple and avoid technical jargon. If the training is broken down into digestible sections with plenty of breaks, your employees are more likely to learn and remember the cyber security training. We recommend using real-world examples and encourage them to proactively engage with cyber security simulations.

Industry Related

By customising your cyber security training to your industry, you can highlight threats that are specific to your company. This will keep your staff on the lookout for those industry-specific cyber security threats and better protect you from them.

Communications and Updates

Communication is an integral part of keeping your staff and company cyber-secure. Updating your employees on recent cyber security threats that develop will allow them to be on the lookout for these threats. So, if a cybercriminal does attempt to attack your company your staff will be able to recognise it and take measures to report it.

Implementing a two-person checking system is another way to improve cyber security. This means that when an important payment comes through, it needs to be approved by two employees before it can be paid. This creates an environment of accountability and one where employees feel safer questioning suspicious emails.

Policies

Updating your policies to include guidelines on what employees can and can’t do when using mobiles, emails and the internet will improve your cyber security. Make sure that your guidelines explain clearly what an employee should do if they suspect there is a cyber security threat or breach.

 

Cyber security is a threat that faces any company, large or small. Your staff are your weakest link when it come to attacks. By not regularly training and updating your cyber security you are leaving your company at risk of a cyber security attack. If you are interested in talking about how you can implement some of the suggestions above, please book a meeting below with one of our cyber security experts.