Cybersecurity Awareness

Your employees are often the first point of contact for a security threat, and in most scenarios, they let the threat proceed.

There is a weak link in your cybersecurity. You may have the most robust cybersecurity system ever, with state-of-the-art detection systems and enhanced data encryption. But you still have a weak link. It’s your employees.

According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, 82% of breaches involved a human element. This means 82% of the successful attacks either included human error, human misuse, or social attacks.

Your employees are often the first point of contact for a security threat, and in most scenarios, they let the threat proceed.

Of course, most of your employees would not knowingly allow a threat actor to steal sensitive information or comprise your company’s network. Instead, they let breaches happen because they lack awareness.

What is cybersecurity awareness? It is simply being mindful of cybersecurity during your everyday activities. For example, you are practicing cybersecurity awareness when you use a search engine and avoid clinking on any links that display the “not secure” warning. This may seem like a small thing, but little decisions your employees make to either stay safe or ignore the risks make a huge difference in your company’s cyber security.

The importance of cybersecurity awareness cannot be emphasized enough. You will not have a complete security system until your employees have sufficient cyber security awareness.

It will take more than an importance of cybersecurity pdf to educate your employees though. You will have to implement a variety of efforts. But keep reading to learn how you can use cybersecurity holidays, cybersecurity awareness topics, and cybersecurity awareness training to help your employees resist the cyber threats of this digital world.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

One fun way to raise your employees’ cyber awareness is by participating in the cybersecurity awareness month. This campaign was started in 2004 to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across the U.S. It is now carried on by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA).

Each October, these organizations foster collaboration between the government and private industries to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect their personal data online.

The theme for the cybersecurity awareness month 2022 is “It’s easy to stay safe online.” In the increasingly violent digital world, this is a good reminder for everything that there are things we can do to keep our data safe.

This October, CISA and NCSA will be emphasizing four key behaviors that can help keep you safe online. Those behaviors are enabling multi-factor authentication, using strong passwords and a password manager, updating software, and recognizing and reporting phishing.

To broadcast the awareness month, CISA and NCSA have the hashtag #BeCyberSmart. Your company can use this hashtag before and during October to show your support and involvement in raising cybersecurity awareness.

Want to get your company more involved in cyber security awareness month this year? We have some cybersecurity awareness month ideas you could try with your employees to help them understand cyber security.

• Run cybersecurity awareness training throughout October.
• Choose a cybersecurity awareness day 2022 for your company to celebrate.
• Purchase cyber-themed snacks for your employees to enjoy each week in October.
• Offer your employees a free password manager service.
• Run a workshop where employees change their passwords, making them stronger.
• Send out test phishing emails and challenge your employees to detect and report them.
• Establish multi-factor authentication for company logins.

Those are just a couple of things your company could do during cyber security awareness month. You might also want to look at the free Cyber Security Awareness Month Resources from CISA. You can use them to get your employees more involved and communicate cyber awareness with your stakeholders. These resources include presentations, tips sheets, and sample social media posts and graphics.

Try your own involvement ideas as well—something unique to your organization. The main goal is that your employees understand more of what cybersecurity is, and they feel empowered to protect their own personal data.

Cyber Security Awareness Topics

As you are raising cybersecurity awareness at your company, you might consider integrating some key cybersecurity awareness topics.

These topics can be cybersecurity topics for presentation or just for discussion among your employees—it does not matter how you integrate them. What really matters is that these cyber security topics are discussed so your employees can grow in their awareness of cybersecurity.

Here are some of the top security awareness topics you should go over with your employees.

1. The importance of security awareness. This topic needs to come first because it can determine your employees’ engagement with all the other topics. Your employees need to know why cybersecurity awareness is important enough for them to hear about it. If they can grasp its importance, they will be much more willing to continue learning about cybersecurity.
2. The importance of strong passwords. Your employees may not want to change their passwords after they have been using the same one for years. So, you need to emphasize why they should use strong passwords. Show them the damages that can be done when a theater actor steals their password, and highlight how strong passwords reduce the risk of their accounts being hacked.
3. The prevalence of phishing. Your employees may not take the threat of phishing seriously if they think it is a rare occurrence. Show them just how frequently phishing occurs. You might even show phishing emails that your employees have personally received. That will highlight the true threat of phishing, so your employees can take the risk seriously. ‍
4. The interworkings of ransomware. As ransomware is a top cyber threat in 2022, your employees to know how it happens and what they can do to avoid it. When they understand how ransomware works, they will be more prepared to face an attack. This will also help your business proceed as much as possible if company data is held for ransom.

Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Out of all the cyber security awareness tips, probably the most beneficial one is to provide cybersecurity awareness training for employees. This training can equip your employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify, avoid, and manage cyber security risks. They will be informed and prepared, and your organization will be safer for it.

There are some key topics you should be sure to include in your cyber security awareness training.

• Creating strong passwords
• Recognizing phishing attacks
• Resiting social engineering
• Safely using USB drives
• Enhansing browser security
• Protecting network security

With those topics, you should have a good start to your training program. Of course, there are always more topics that could be included. Try to tailor your program to specifically address the cybersecurity risk your company faces. Also, incorporate some fun activities in your training. Your employees will stay engaged and learn more if they can have a little fun during the cyber security awareness training.

To successfully run a training program, you will need to assemble a cyber security awareness training army—a dedicated team of employees who will lead the training classes. Choose employees who have experience in cyber security and can communicate effectively. Your IT department would be a great place to look for some training leaders.

Finally, do not deceive yourself that one cyber security awareness training will remove all employee negligence. The training program is a great start to raising employee awareness, but it is not a one-and-done thing. You will have to continually remind your employees to stay vigilant and guard against cybersecurity threats. You should consider repeating a cybersecurity awareness training every couple of years as well, so your employees can stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats.

Once you have a sound cybersecurity strategy and training, it’s best to create a cyber security awareness training for employees pdf to refer to over time.

Importance Of Cyber Security In Digital World

Raising cybersecurity awareness is a big task. There are probably several employees who have never considered cybersecurity before. But do not give up your awareness efforts. The importance of cyber security in digital world cannot be overstressed.

Cyber threats cost more and more each year. Ransomware cost the world $20 billion in 2021. The average cost of one data breach was $4.24 million that same year. And those costs are only predicted to climb higher.

The frequency of cyber attacks is not slowing either. 66% of small to medium-sized businesses have experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months alone.

Cyber threats are not going away. The question is, are you ready? You need more than just an importance of cybersecurity PPT. You need employees who are ready to face cyber threats. You need a security system that can resist cyberattacks. You need an entire cyber risk management plan.

That’s why Trava exists. When you partner with us, we will assess your current cyber risk, repair any vulnerabilities we find, and align you with the right cyber insurance to transfer your cyber risk to someone else. We specialize in small and midsized business security, and we will design a risk mitigation plan specifically for your business. Schedule a demo with us to see how we can secure your business in this digital world.