Cyber Security Awareness and Protection Program
Did you know that 60% of small and medium-sized businesses experienced a cybersecurity attack in 2017? Yes, your company does not need to be a fortune 500 company to be targeted for a cyberattack or cyber intrusion. In the age of broad-scale attacks, achieving effective cyber security means taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity. The importance of protecting your information assets is vital to your company’s operations and it is great for your company’s reputation, too. Having a proactive cyber security awareness program based on your Business Risk Intelligence (BRI) and Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is great way to minimize the risk of cyberattacks and cybercrime on your organization.
Fifth Generation Cyber Security
Over the past 15 years, there have been 8,854 confirmed data theft incidents in the United States according to the ID Theft Resource Center. More alarming is the fact that Radware reports that 25 percent of businesses have at least one cyber incident over the past two years.
Since 2017, cyber security has entered the fifth generation of cyber security. What does this mean to you and your company? For starters, it means that bad agents bow have a wide range of attack tools at their disposal like ransomware, phishing, malware, and content exploitation. Hacking and cyberattacks have before more sophisticated exploiting all the vulnerabilities of organizational computer networks in addition to exploiting human errors that lead to cybersecurity breaches. In fact, human error is the leading factor in cyber security breaches although it is completely avoidable with an effective cyber security awareness program that complements your existing BRI and CTI.
Passing off the responsibility to a cybersecurity vendor and relying on cybersecurity technology is no longer enough to safeguard your organization’s digital information asset. In fact, technology is only as effective as the companies and people who operate them.
The Value of a Cybersecurity Policy
In the age of bring-your-own-device and going paperless, all companies should have a sound cybersecurity policy in place to protect their organization’s information assets and network. Ipsos research reports that only 2 out of 5 companies have a cybersecurity policy in place. Like other safety policies, your company’s cyber security policy protects is the foundation of a sound BRI and CTI awareness program. It also helps you cover your cybersecurity risk. In turn, the most important components of a good cyber security policy include the following:
- Acceptable use of Internet communication such as email and instant messenger.
- Rules and limitation of Internet access using the company’s Wifi or LAN network
- Guidelines and protocols for password creation and data storage
- Sensitive data storage protocols
- Security guidelines and protocols for remote access
- Rules regarding the use of removable media storage devices like USB drives and CDs.
Awareness and Knowledge is the Key to Security
As they say, Knowledge is Power. Every security awareness program should understand the business risks associated to cyberattacks that are unique to the organization. While it is great to follow industry best practices for cybersecurity policies, awareness programs, and protocols, it is important to evaluate your organization’s individual cybersecurity needs based on your own business risk intelligence and cyber threat intelligence analysis.
Keeping your organization safe means striking the right balance between function and safety. As a business owner, you have to be aware that cyber security does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. With the numerous threats to the system, it is important to integrate your organization’s cybersecurity awareness program to your organization’s culture. Once cyber security awareness becomes part of your organization’s culture, it is easier to implement cybersecurity programs and protocols for employees.
All of the company’s employees have to understand that they play an important role in keeping the company’s information assets and sensitive data secure. A good cyber security awareness program creates a safety first culture that values cyber security as much as workplace safety. It should start from the top down with you as the business owner spearheading the awareness program and promoting it as part of your workplace culture.
Working with the right cyber security vendor and having the right cyber security technology in place is a crucial factor in every cyber security program. In fact, getting all your internal stakeholders on board helps reduce vulnerabilities because it reduces the chances of human error-caused breaches. Phishing and social engineering remain the most common way bad agents get into your network. Increasing your employees’ cyber security awareness is the absolute best way to protect your organization from cyberattacks and security breech. Above all, vigilant employees enhance the business resilience of your organization. Increasing your organization’s cybersecurity employee awareness is one of the security controls your organization could proactively implement. In the following blog post, we will explore other security controls you can implement to guard your organization against different cybersecurity threats.