Employee security awareness is an important aspect of cybersecurity that several businesses neglect to address. The biggest danger to IT security is phishing, which may result in days of costly downtime, the theft of sensitive data, and account take-overs via identity thefts.
Employees receive adequate cybersecurity awareness training can reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack on a company by up to 70%. However, it can be difficult to comprehend what “well-trained” really implies. Is one 2-hour training session per year sufficient? What about a six-monthly virtual refresher course?
A study conducted by Security Boulevard, demonstrated that yearly and twice-yearly training is insufficient. If the concept of cybersecurity is not reinforced, people may forget what they have learned in as little as 6 months.
IT Security Awareness Training Frequency
Employees in the study received phishing awareness training and instruction on how to spot fraudulent emails. They underwent testing after training at various intervals.
Participants’ capacity to recognize phishing emails was compared to the frequency of training. It examined phishing awareness training and IT security. Employees completed phishing identification exams at various intervals of time:
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 8 months
- 10 months
- 12 months
The study discovered that their test results were strong four months following training. Employees might still recognize phishing emails with accuracy and refrain from clicking on them. However, their scores began to decline after 6 months. The more time that passed after their initial instruction, the lower the scores were.
This study demonstrates the need for periodic reinforcement of cybersecurity awareness training to develop teams with high cyber hygiene. They will be better able to contribute to your cybersecurity strategy as a result.
Tips to Maintain Effective Cybersecurity Training
Make Cybersecurity a Cultural Value
It is not necessary to take a half-day course on topics like password security and phishing awareness as “training” in cybersecurity. Rather, cybersecurity training should ongoing touchpoints such as weekly
cybersecurity advice through email or monthly short webinars.
By incorporating cybersecurity into your company’s culture, you can create a team that puts security first, lowering your risk of cybersecurity issues brought on by human error. According to a Stanford University research, employee error accounts for 88% of all data breaches.
Mobile Device Security
Today, a lot of done on mobile devices as they are extremely convenient for checking and responding to emails from anywhere. These days, most businesses will not even consider utilizing software if it does not have a decent mobile app.
It is crucial to regularly assess the security requirements for employee devices that access company data and apps including keeping the phone properly updated and protecting it with a passcode.
Make Use of Phishing Simulations
How can you tell if your staff members have the knowledge necessary to spot a phishing email? The most effective approach to do this is to conduct recurrent, surprise phishing simulation testing.
An IT expert or simulation provider will conduct these drills by sending secure but persuasive emails that closely resemble actual phishing emails. The number of members of your team that interacted with a phishing message in a way that threatened cybersecurity is then factored into your team’s overall score and this can the be used to determine future training needed.
Data Protection
Another matter that has become critical is legislation governing data privacy. Most businesses must abide by many data privacy regulations.
Employees should receive training on secure data handling practices. This lessens the possibility that you will be the victim of a data breach or leak that could result in a pricey compliance fine.
Conclusion
Ongoing cybersecurity training for your staff is no longer optional. Contact Frank Stephens at fstephens@onlineCTS.com or 847-894-6304 to learn more about how Computing Technology Solutions can be your employee cybersecurity training partner.