The Most Essential Security Awareness Training Topics for 2021 – In 2021, it becomes more important than ever to train your employees on cybersecurity practices in the workplace. With increasingly sophisticated digital threats, educating your digital workforce on cybersecurity best practices is the most effective way to save time and prevent security breaches. Human error is the cause of up to 95% of cybersecurity breaches, and this number can be significantly reduced with simple awareness training courses. Without further talk, I have listed below 7 issues to be aware of.
1- Removable Media
USB devices containing malware can be found by end-users when they are plugged into their device. There are many reasons why a company chooses to use removable media in their environment. However, there is always a potential risk with all technologies. In addition to the devices themselves, it’s important for your employees to protect the data on those devices. All data has value, be it personal or business data. This security awareness topic should be included in your training and include examples of removable media, why it is used in work, and how your employees can avoid risks such as lost or stolen removable media, malware infection, and copyright violation.
2- Passwords
Passwords provide the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your computer and personal information. The stronger your password is, the more protected your computer will be from hackers and malware. You must maintain strong passwords for all accounts on your computer. Here are some useful tips you should encourage your employees to apply, and your organization’s password policy should contain:
- Use a unique password for each of your important accounts. Do not use the same password on multiple accounts.
- Never use personal information such as your name, age, date of birth, child’s name, pet’s name or favorite color/song when constructing your password.
- Avoid consecutive keyboard combinations (i.e., “qwerty” or “asdfg”).
- Never write down your passwords on sticky paper and hide underneath your workstation or telephone.
3- Public Wi-Fi
When you are using public wi-fi, anyone can hack your data through the public wi-fi connection. An attacker could be sniffing all data passing over wi-fi, including your emails containing company data. Setting up and using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is very important for security when working on unsecured networks. Therefore, the use of public wi-fi should be avoided, and if you must use it, you should at least use it with a VPN connection.
4- Social Media
Over-sharing can lead to sensitive information being available, making it easier for cybercriminals to appear as a trusted source. Educating employees on maintaining the privacy settings of their social media accounts and preventing the dissemination of your company’s public information will reduce the risk of hackers accessing your personal network.
5- Social Engineering
Social engineering is a common technique that cybercriminals use to gain the trust of employees, offer valuable attractions, or use impersonation to gain access to valuable personal information. Employees need to be trained in safety awareness issues covering the most common social engineering techniques and impact psychology to overcome these threats.
6- Working Away from the Office
More organizations are adopting flexible working arrangements for their employees and equipping their employees to work anytime, anywhere. As a result, working outside of traditional offices becomes commonplace. Your employees can use mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones to do their jobs. Without the security protections that office systems provide you with, such as firewalls, blacklisted IP addresses, and the growing reliance on technology, your employees are much more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Therefore if your employees are working away from your office, they should definitely be informed and trained about the risks and precautions.
7- Phishing Attacks
Every month, we see a significant increase in the number of phishing attacks. Moreover, they are evolving and getting more sophisticated. Therefore phishing attacks are the most common causes of data breaches. While companies are increasingly aware of phishing, it is still a growing threat in 2021, partly due to a lack of employee-level awareness. By promoting safety training as part of the company’s philosophy through repeated safety awareness training, the number of successful phishing attacks can be reduced significantly over time.
With Keepnet Labs’s field-proven Phishing Simulation Module, you can safely and proactively test and measure your employee’s vulnerability by sending harmless phishing attacks to your team. Moreover, Keepnet Lab’s Awareness Educator ensures users who are caught by Keepnet Labs Phishing Simulations become more aware of threats and better-equipped to identify sophisticated phishing emails in the future.
“This post is originally published at www.keepnetlabs.com”
Teknoloji Haberleri