Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
A strong strategy for cybersecurity awareness training is crucial to protect organizations from cyber threats. Despite training programs, many employees still lack knowledge of cybersecurity, which can be attributed to ineffective training and inconsistent cyber hygiene practices. Cybersecurity awareness training helps employees recognize and report security incidents, apply best practices, and prevent their organizations from falling victim to attacks. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity outlines essential objectives for a cybersecurity awareness program, including raising awareness, promoting education and culture, being prepared for incidents, improving comprehension of threats, and testing policies and procedures.
Employees must be educated about various cyber threats they may encounter in their work environments, beyond just phishing links. This includes USB attacks, phone calls, voicemails, phishing text messages, social engineering emails without links, and internal instant messages. Training programs should consider the level of employees’ cybersecurity knowledge and provide real-life examples of potential threats and their consequences. When reporting security incidents, employees should be empowered and educated about the significance of cybersecurity, rather than shamed.
A positive culture of cybersecurity can be fostered by recognizing and rewarding employees who contribute to a safer cyber landscape. Training programs should be enjoyable, presented in straightforward language, and minimally disruptive to employees’ daily work routines. Personalization of training based on employees’ roles and access permissions is also important. Cybersecurity awareness should be a collective responsibility within an organization, involving not just security or IT teams.
