Creating a Cybersecurity Awareness Program

Imagine the CEO of your company emailing you to ask you to purchase $500 in gift cards. Something feels off…but it’s your CEO asking. Do you do it? Do you know who you can ask to make sure it’s legit?

Imagine your long-time associate at a top vendor emails you an invoice requesting payment via wire transfer for $100,000. You have received the same email, invoice, and instructions several times, and don’t think twice about remitting the funds. The problem is you didn’t look closely enough at the email address, nor did you call to verify the validity of the request. So, like you’ve done many times before, you wire the funds. The problem is, although the name on the email was recognizable, it was sent to you by a cyber criminal overseas. And you’ve now wired the funds to their bank account. The $100,000 cannot be retrieved, and you have lost the company’s money. Ouch!

These examples are scams that cybercriminals use to steal from businesses. Whether employees receive emails with fake links to Eras Tour tickets, text messages with misleading purposes, or phone calls from attackers impersonating trusted entities, cyber scams are a severe risk.

No matter the size of a business, it is susceptible to cyber-attacks. In an age where nearly all critical information is stored digitally, it is vital to take steps to protect it. Malware attacks, phishing scams, and ransomware schemes are prevalent and can create significant financial loss and reputational damage for businesses.

These are some of the critical benefits of a Cybersecurity Awareness Program:

• A robust cybersecurity program creates a culture of safety for businesses. It sets security safeguards and includes education and expectations for each team member.
• Employees better understand cybersecurity practices. Educated employees will take an active role in identifying scams and preventing breaches. Confident and knowledgeable team members are essential to protection. 
• It helps companies avoid these incidents’ financial, legal, and reputational consequences. Cybersecurity breaches can lead to fines, penalties, remediation costs, and lawsuits.
• Faster incident response times. When all team members know what to do in the event of an attack, they can respond quicker and may be able to reduce damage.
• More customer trust. Clients notice a business’s commitment to security and compliance with industry regulations.

So you’re ready to establish a new Cybersecurity Awareness Program for your business. How should you roll it out?

As shared by Zywave, here are a few things that can make the process smoother:

• Get your leadership on board. Use data to help leadership understand the importance of a program. Their support can set the tone for a successful rollout.
• Plan training content that addresses organizational needs. Training will differ massively based on industry, internal processes, data storage, and communication. An audit can be an excellent way to determine the direction of training.
• Spread the word about the program to employees. Utilize a variety of communication channels to make them aware of it.
• Keep training engaging. Keep participants engaged through different training methods. Incentivize participation.
• Make training an ongoing priority. It takes time and consistency to reinforce safety practices. 
• Listen to your metrics. Measure and assess training completion rates, phishing tests, and other benchmarks to continuously improve training. Listen to employee feedback to make changes where necessary.

Ready to establish your own Cyber Security Awareness Program? Our team would love to help! Click HERE to get started.

Source: Cybersecurity Awareness Programs: Benefits and Implementation (Zywave)