Researchers from Stanford University and a top cybersecurity organization found that approximately 88 percent of all data breaches are caused by an employee mistake. Human error is still very much the driving force behind an overwhelming majority of cybersecurity problems.
One of the most critical steps any business in any industry can take to protect itself is employee cybersecurity training. Every day, bad actors infiltrate organizations because untrained employees easily fall victim to email, telephone, and text scams. Cybercriminals are better organized than ever, which is why businesses need a systematic approach to protecting their business assets. It only takes one misstep by one employee to cause tremendous damage.
Consider some of the common disruptions businesses face every day. An employee downloads an email attachment from an unknown sender, and a virus penetrates your network, which impedes your organization’s ability to operate. Or perhaps a staff member clicks on a link in a phishing email that seizes your infrastructure with ransomware and takes your business offline until a sum of money is paid. Or maybe a phone scam makes an employee believe they should divulge sensitive financial information to an imposter. Any of these situations can cause damage so severe that some businesses are unable to recover, so they close their doors.
Many companies have operated with a mindset that security breaches happen to other businesses. They’ll be fine. That mindset is a big gamble because the consequences of a data breach can include fines, lost business, and damage to your reputation. Operating on luck is not a viable business strategy. Every enterprise should protect the data it maintains for its clients and employees.
Fortunately, the good news is that employee cybersecurity training and testing largely prevent adverse outcomes. When employees know what to be on the lookout for, they are less apt to fall victim to nefarious schemes. It’s essential to train all new and existing employees about the threats they’ll potentially face online and offline. For staff members to embrace cybersecurity training and put it to use, it needs to be relevant to the evolving real-world scenarios that employees will encounter now and new threats lurking on the horizon.
Of course, monitoring for the latest threats, developing a cybersecurity training program, testing employees, and coaching them can feel like a whole other job because it is. However, organizations that lack internal resources to administer an employee cybersecurity training program can seek the expertise of businesses skilled in employee education and coaching, like Athreon. Athreon can quickly and easily strengthen your business security posture with comprehensive employee cybersecurity training. For more details and a free consultation, contact Athreon at 800.935.0973.