How Cybersecurity Training Reduces Phishing and Cyber Risks

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In 2023, over 1.76 billion phishing emails were sent. That’s 1.76 billion opportunities for unsuspecting individuals and employees to put their personal and company information at risk. Knowing how to handle threats like these is crucial for effective business cybersecurity. Let’s take a look at how cybersecurity training for employees will help you stay safe.

Knowing What You’re Up Against

Preventing breaches starts with understanding the threats, such as phishing. Phishing is when a target is contacted by a seemingly trustworthy source through email, text, etc., and then tricked into sharing personal information or giving access to systems. The attacker can then steal sensitive data, install malware, or perform any number of malicious activities. 

Phishing comes in many forms, but here are a few common methods:

• Email Phishing: Hackers create a fake address that looks like it belongs to a trusted organization and sends out mass generic emails, often with harmful links.
• Spear Phishing: The perpetrator targets a specific person, using personal information such as their name or details about their job to write a more convincing, personalized message in this advanced form of email phishing.
• Whaling: Attackers imitate company executives and ask employees for a favor, like completing a money transfer.
• Smishing: Victims are contacted through text rather than email, but the general format is the same. Messages will often appear to be from a bank and include a link to the criminal’s site where they can collect account information.

Unfortunately, the attacks don’t stop there. Hackers can also use techniques like malware, ransomware, social engineering, man-in-the-middle attacks, spoofing, and more to access your business’s critical information and resources. Without adequate cybersecurity training for your employees, criminals can easily access your systems to perform these attacks.

How Does Human Error Relate to Security Risks?

Employee mistakes play a huge part in cybersecurity breaches: One study found that 74% of incidents are due to human error, and some sources report that number to be even higher. Not everyone on your team is a cybersecurity expert—that’s okay, but it does make them more likely to unknowingly expose your organization to hackers.

Clicking malicious links, improperly configuring sharing settings, connecting to unknown Wi-Fi, staying logged in on a device that others can access, practicing poor password hygiene, and neglecting software updates all create gaps in your security. Proper cybersecurity training for your employees will help them avoid these mistakes, leading to more secure systems for your organization.

What Are the Benefits of Cybersecurity Training for Employees?

Increase Awareness

When employees understand what threats are out there, including forms of phishing, they’ll be able to better identify and report attacks, allowing your IT team to handle the issue quickly.

Improve Response Techniques

Training gives employees a chance to practice responding to threats and learn the safest course of action for each type of risk. They’ll be able to react quickly and confidently when they encounter something suspicious, and you’ll be able to avoid the negative effects of a breach.

Build a Security-Conscious Culture

Regular cybersecurity training instills a collective responsibility among employees, encouraging them to prioritize security practices and contribute to a safer cyber environment.

Creating Effective Cybersecurity Training for Employees

The way you approach cybersecurity training for employees is just as important as whether or not you do it. These tips can help you develop an effective training plan.

• Schedule mandatory training often and follow up between sessions with things like newsletters and videos to keep cybersecurity at the front of your team’s mind.
• Make sure all team members are involved—to achieve a security-minded culture, everyone needs to be aware of their role in avoiding, detecting, and responding to threats.
• Use engaging teaching methods that help your staff understand the real-life application of what they’re learning. Try simulations, quizzes, or other interactive activities to boost interest.
• Incorporate a variety of topics in your training sessions, from general best practices to specific threats and techniques for avoiding them. Tailor the content to your industry and company, and be sure to include updates on emerging threats.
• Make it fun! Consider inviting guest speakers, designating security champions in different departments, setting up programs or games with prizes, and taking advantage of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October to make trainings more interesting.

Teach Your Team with Twintel

At Twintel, your business’s safety and success are our top priorities. That’s why we want to help prepare your team to face security challenges head-on. We take pride in creating a positive partnership with you, so we’ll customize cybersecurity training to fit exactly what your employees need, from the content to the delivery method. So don’t let your staff members be your greatest cybersecurity risk. Schedule an appointment, and let’s talk about how to make them your strongest line of defense.