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Why Your Employees Need Cybersecurity Training

Your organization may be relying on an external firm for its cybersecurity needs. It’s also possible that you have a department of IT security experts. However, they’ll only make up a small fraction of the company population. Naturally, they’ll be the most security conscious. However, all your employees should benefit from a robust cybersecurity training program.

Why Employees Must Have Cybersecurity Training

It’s not uncommon for employee error to seriously compromise organizational security. Such internal threat channels often include careless or less-knowledgeable staff and should be critical considerations in an organization's security apparatus.

One way to mitigate the intrinsic threat of cyber attacks is to train employees about threats and data security. It’s probably the best measure by a long shot.

Many digital attacks have a human component they wish to exploit using a creative bait. Most data breaches tend to reinforce the need for continuous employee education. Before an actual attack, there's often a prior attempt by the attacker(s) to gain access to a digital resource through an employee. People are easier to manipulate and exploit on a large scale, unlike probing software for weaknesses.

Cybersecurity training for your workforce cements a major hole in your corporate defense strategy.

Why is Continuous Cybersecurity Training Always Urgent?

An employee needs first to recognize a security threat before they can report or eliminate it. The 2019 State of IT Security 2019 survey reveals that email security and employee training are the primary challenges for IT security experts. Employees continue to be a viable portal for phishers despite firewalls and modern security apparatus.

More employees automatically mean more potential outposts for malicious activity. For this reason, organizations that provide cybersecurity education and certification like Infosec exist.

With proper cybersecurity training, employees can protect themselves and your organization from threats and cyber attacks. It's only logical to strengthen the chain's weakest link, as phishers will find your company to be an attractive prospect.

What Should a Cybersecurity Course Cover?

When looking out for a cybersecurity training provider for your employees, it's advisable to consider the scope of their curriculum covers. Not all cybersecurity courses are born equal. Training programs usually come unique, but the highest defining factor should be how its implementation in your workplace environment will be.

The right cybersecurity course focuses on the dangers to keep an eye on, including ransomware, insider threats, and so forth. This training should be a basic perk for all employees and not just experts with a security certification. As long as their work entails using a computing device with access to a network, every employee should learn to identify phishing attacks and social engineering schemes. Failure to do so can have lethal effects even in the short term.

Secure browsing practices should teach people to avoid suspicious links and evade hacking attempts. In an era where Bring-Your-Own-Device (BOYD) and Work-from-Home (WHF) is the new trend, they must also learn to evade multiple hacking attempts while understanding the dangers of public Wi-Fi. These are avenues for password and data leaks.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity training for employees is not optional. While the expectation is not for them to earn a security certification – which isn't bad if they choose to earn one, you can be sure that your people will not be an easy prey for potential attackers.

Cybercriminals today use incredible sophisticated and convincing methods to fool those who are not aware of their schemes and attack vulnerable systems. But by staying educated and up to date about the latest cyber attack trends, you can keep your employees and business safe.