How to Protect Your Business from Cyberattacks with Awareness Training
Cyberattacks are a growing threat to businesses of all sizes. In 2022, there were over 600 billion cyberattacks worldwide, costing businesses over 6 trillion dollars.
In Denmark alone, the Danish Center for Cyber Security (CFCS) reported over 200,000 attacks against Danish businesses in 2022, a 20% increase from the previous year.
The most common types of cyberattacks in Denmark are:
- Phishing, where hackers attempt to trick victims into giving up their personal information or clicking on a malicious link
- Malware, which is malicious software installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge
- Ransomware which is a type of malware that encrypts a computer’s data and demands a ransom to decrypt it
CFCS estimates cyberattacks will cost businesses and public institutions over 10 billion Danish kroner in 2022.
One of the best ways to protect your business from cyberattacks is to train your employees in IT security. Awareness training can help employees understand the risks they face and how they can protect your company’s data and systems.
How can Awareness training help?
Awareness training can help employees identify and avoid cyberattacks. It can also help employees respond to cyberattacks if they occur.
Here are some of the things that Awareness training can help employees do:
- Identify phishing emails and other forms of social engineering attacks
- Protect their passwords and additional sensitive information
- Use your company’s security software correctly
- Recognize the signs of a cyberattack
- Respond to a cyberattack
How to combine Awareness training with updated endpoints
An essential part of Awareness training is ensuring all endpoints have the latest security patches. Keeping the endpoints updated helps protect your company from the most common cyberattacks.
Here are some ways you can combine Awareness training with updated endpoints:
- The IT department can automate updates so that all endpoints are always up to date
- The IT department can create an update policy that defines how and when to update all endpoints
- The IT department can make a process for implementing updates
Once all endpoints are updated, the IT department can begin training employees in IT security.
How to get started right away
Awareness training is an essential part of any company’s cyber security strategy. By combining Awareness training with updated endpoints, you can help protect your company from cyberattacks.
Here are some tips for how to smartly train your employees in IT security:
- Start by understanding your employees’ needs: What do they already know about IT security? What threats are they most exposed to? Once you understand your employees’ needs, you can design a training program that is relevant and effective.
- Make it relevant to your employees: IT security can be a complex topic. It is crucial to make the training relevant to your employees’ work and everyday lives. Use examples and scenarios that are relevant to them.
- Keep it short: Employees are busy. Make sure your training is concise. They should be able to learn the most critical things in a short amount of time.
- Repeat it regularly: IT security is a dynamic field. It is essential to repeat the training regularly to ensure that your employees are up-to-date on the latest threats and security practices.
- Measure your success: It is essential to measure how well your employees have learned. That way, you can improve your training program over time.
Need inspiration for specific training activities you can use?
- Send fake phishing email tests: A study by IT security company KnowBe4 found that regular training by receiving these fake emails increases employees’ ability to spot malicious emails and links by as much as 274%.
- Online courses are an easy and effective way to learn about IT security. There are many free and paid courses available.
- E-learning is another good way to learn about IT security. E-learning can be customized to your employees’ specific needs.
- In-person training can be an excellent way to learn about IT security, especially for employees who need practical experience.
- Security games and quizzes can be a fun and engaging way to learn about IT security.
Are you curious about the state of IT security in your company, when it comes to having the basics in place?
Get a free security check – in less than an hour, we’ll give you a live “here and now” overview of your company’s current security status.
