Ways to Train Phishing Awareness
As we’ve covered before, the most dangerous thing to your company is your company itself. More specifically, your employees represent the largest threat to your business. This doesn’t have to be the case, though – Far from it. Every time you train employees in phishing awareness, they become a greater asset. So it would be best if you were sure you’re training your employees in recognizing phishing attacks. Phishing and other social engineering attacks are the most common cybersecurity threats today. Nearly 100,000 phishing attacks occur every month in America alone. These attacks don’t just catch dopes, either – They are sophisticated and only growing in complexity.
Why is Training Important?
No matter how good your cybersecurity tech is, people still operate it. Those people can be tricked or coerced to subvert your security measures. What’s worse is they may feel they’re doing their job by doing so. For example, many phishing attacks claim to be from higher management. By teaching employees what to look for, they can help protect you and serve as extra layers of security.
What is Phishing Awareness Training?
Phishing awareness training could involve many different programs. These are training routines meant to improve how your employees respond to phishing. You can use resources like tutorials and tests to help better the response at your company. However, some other tools may be more effective.
What Makes Phishing Awareness Training Effective?
There are numerous services, and some companies even prefer to design their programs. How can you be sure that your business is being adequately prepared to protect against phishing? It’s an important question to ask. Some 90% of all data breaches are the result of phishing attacks. There are three easy steps you can take to ensure your program works.
Open with Communication
If your employees don’t know phishing or its dangers, even a good program may see poor engagement. Every business has a different environment and lifestyle. Depending on how your business operates, you may bring it up during morning notes, written memos, or videos. There is no one-size-fits-all approach – It depends on your company. The important thing is to engage your employees and tell them what phishing is and why they need to be aware of it.
Simulate Phishing Attacks
After you inform your employees and begin training them, it’s time to test that training. Orchestrate controlled, internal phishing attacks and see if your employees can be coerced. These “attacks” can come in many forms, and some forms work better on different people. For example, you may arrange a phone call claiming to be from upper management. See how cooperative your team is with a stranger.
Track Your Progress
It’s not enough to give your employees a “crank call” or bogus email and see what they do. You need to connect with them when they fail the test and let them know how dangerous what they did is. Track which attacks worked where and how often. Enact additional training or defenses for the most vulnerable areas of your company.
Arruda Group Can Help
We are cybersecurity experts with a long history in the field. You can learn about our services and background on our website. If it sounds like organizing a phishing awareness training routine is a big job, that’s because it is. We can help you organize and execute a successful training program. This will help protect your business, customers, and your future. So give us a call today and tell us your situation. You don’t want to be unprotected in today’s climate.
