Information security incidents can have severe consequences for businesses, especially when they are a result of unintentional violations by employees. According to research, in 66% of cases, information security incidents occur because of employees’ mistakes, and in 14% of cases, employees become an “entry” point for external intruders.
With cyber-attacks becoming more frequent and sophisticated, it is no longer enough to rely solely on technological solutions to protect sensitive information. Organizations must also train their employees to be aware of the risks and take necessary precautions to safeguard company data. While software can help mitigate such disasters, it is impossible to provide complete protection without the literacy of employees. Therefore, it is vital to train employees in the basics of information security. However, organizing such training can be challenging. What should you pay attention to when developing a training program so that it is effective? What should you teach employees to keep your business secure?
Here is a list of essential topics that should be included in the training program:
- Social engineering techniques that scammers use, from email manipulation to deep fakes.
- Information security rules for remote work and business trips, including SSL, VPN, and other abbreviations, as well as communication, meetings, and exchanging information remotely.
- Password policies and two-factor authentication, including what makes a strong password, where to store it, and how to remember it. Employees should also learn that passwords are more predictable than they think.
- Digital hygiene, including best practices for social media behavior and the use of public services and other resources.
- Rules for working with corporate information, include what constitutes trade secrets, who owns corporate data, and the consequences of disclosing sensitive information.
There are many formats for teaching information security, including lectures, games, training sessions, and exercises. With modern platforms, training can be conducted both offline and remotely. There are free platforms where you can create your course, as well as ready-made programs. Despite this, the most common method is still the traditional briefing followed by signing in a journal. However, this approach is insufficient, and it is ineffective for teaching abstract subjects like information security.
People often underestimate the importance of data protection and don’t realize that an incident can have a significant impact on them personally. Therefore, no matter what training format you choose, it must be supplemented with elements of gamification and training.
Here are some techniques that are likely to have the greatest impact:
- Demonstrate how passwords can be cracked in just a few minutes.
- Show real-time information on the internet about people in the audience. The existence of open-source intelligence (OSINT) can be a revelation for many.
- Make a call from a replacement number.
- Demonstrate how quickly a person’s voice or face can be cloned.
Even if the course covers all the important aspects of digital literacy, shortcomings can reduce efforts to zero. Here are the main mistakes to avoid:
- Learning is based on rote memorization rather than principles
Users should be taught to understand the principles of an attack, not just recognize its specific signs. For example, a green padlock in the address bar is not always safe, and the correct address of the sender of the letter may not always be in order. It is important to explain the “anatomy” of an attack and its motives, so users will pay attention to specific signs of fraud that may not be obvious.
- Lack of personalized training
People have different levels of knowledge and skills, so personalized training is important. It is recommended to assess the knowledge and skills of employees before the training program and tailor the program accordingly.
- Not enough practice
Practice makes perfect. It is important to provide employees with practical tasks to reinforce their knowledge and skills. For example, conducting a phishing simulation or password-cracking exercise can help employees apply what they have learned.
- No ongoing training
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and employees need to keep up with the latest trends and techniques. Therefore, ongoing training is necessary to ensure that employees are aware of the latest threats and have the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and the organization.
Conclusion
Training employees in the basics of information security is critical for businesses to protect themselves from cyber threats. A comprehensive training program should cover social engineering techniques, information security rules, password policy and two-factor authentication, digital hygiene, and rules for working with corporate information. The training format should include elements of gamification and training to make it interesting and effective. To maximize the effectiveness of the training program, avoid common mistakes such as rote memorization, lack of personalized training, not enough practice, and no ongoing training.
