Essential cyber security training for your staff

Does your staff need cyber security training?

When it comes to cybersecurity, unfortunately, it’s your staff who might be the weakest link. That’s why investing in staff cyber security training may save your company from the theft of private information and your reputation.

Why does staff need cyber security training?

In the week from 24 March, when Australia locked down for Covid-19, cybercriminals took this opportunity to release a WHO phishing email, titled ‘Safety COVID-19 Awareness’. The fake email was quite professional and allowed cybercriminals to access personal information from many remote working employees, away from the usual security framework of their workplace.

Over 16,000 phishing emails have been reported to Scamwatch in Australia this year. Which means the amount actually sent is much higher. 

Phishing is the most popular form of internet crime, according to Norton. An email can be sent to someone in your company, claiming to be from a trusted source, such as a bank or government website. Once the user clicks on the link, details of your company such as passwords and usernames could be obtained illegally. 

If staff visit a compromised website, ransomware or malware can be downloaded onto the company server. Information from your company database can then be stolen. Your workers need to be aware of the signs indicating a data breach. Otherwise, it could go unnoticed.

Malicious code can be accidentally downloaded by staff simply by using macros in an Office file. Software developers create macros to speed up repetitive tasks. But, if a staff member doesn’t know the origin of a file, a hacker may have introduced a destructive macro, spreading a virus into your network.

Browser plugins such as Flash, Java, and web-advertisements contently being blocked may cause staff frustrations. But limiting these applications reduces the risk of a security incident. User application hardening is used to allow only the required areas of an application to run.

Internet security is constantly evolving. Updating passwords, software and having more than one method of verification can cause frustration and complacency if your workers are unaware of the reasons why it’s needed. Creating a culture of awareness is the strongest way to prevent a data breach. 

Make your staff the strongest link in the chain when it comes to cybersecurity.

Get in touch to find out more about staff cybersecurity training.

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