How do you raise awareness among your employees about cybersecurity?

29 August 2023

By sensitizing your employees to cybersecurity, you can minimize human errors and reinforce your company's security in the face of increasingly frequent and sophisticated threats.

Employees can inadvertently become a source of incidents or system vulnerabilities due to their lack of knowledge and vigilance.

In practical terms, cybersecurity awareness can empower employees to understand the risks associated with information security, recognize the signs of cyber-attacks, adopt best practices in cybersecurity, and act responsibly to protect the company's data and systems.

Outdated awareness methods

Numerous methods have been employed to raise employees' awareness about cybersecurity but often fail to deliver meaningful results.

For instance, internal newsletters are often lengthy and get lost amid the barrage of received emails. They lack attractiveness and interactivity and risk employees missing crucial information or failing to assimilate it.

Similarly, one-time emails and training sessions do not foster a lasting internal culture of information security, nor do they effectively raise alertness.

Lastly, relying solely on an IT charter to set rules is inadequate. Frequently seen as a mere administrative formality, an IT charter lacks advisory elements, remains static over time, and is often perceived as overly rigid by employees.

Interactive training sessions

Regular workshops are essential for providing comprehensive training. These may include presentations, hands-on exercises, and e-learning modules to help employees understand cybersecurity risks, learn the best practices to avoid them and become proficient in identifying and reporting potential threats. This may involve topics such as creating strong passwords and regularly updating software.

E-learning modules can take various forms, such as videos, quizzes, and simulations. By incorporating interactive elements like games or challenges, e-learning can make the training more engaging and memorable.

Furthermore, interactive e-learning allows for measuring the training outcomes. Companies can track employees' progress and identify areas where improvements are needed.

These workshops must be regular and recurrent. Cybersecurity risks are constantly evolving, necessitating ongoing updates to reflect the latest trends in cybercrime.

SIMULATED PHISHING EXERCISES

Simulated phishing campaigns are becoming increasingly popular for effectively sensitizing employees to cybersecurity. These campaigns involve sending fake phishing emails to employees to test their vigilance and ability to recognize phishing attempts. These emails may contain suspicious links, malicious attachments, or requests for personal information. Several options are available to companies, with organizations providing such campaigns or easy-to-use online tools readily accessible.

These campaigns aim to raise employees' awareness about the dangers of phishing emails and encourage them to adopt appropriate cybersecurity behaviors.

The results of these campaigns can help identify employees who may require additional cybersecurity training.
It is crucial to conduct simulated phishing campaigns ethically and transparently. Employees should be informed before the campaign's launch, and the results should not be used for punitive purposes.

Wallpapers and lock screens

Wallpapers and lock screens serve as perfect internal communication channels, often overlooked. They are screens that all computer users can see multiple times a day. Utilizing them to disseminate recurring messages can be highly effective. Updating them can be easily accomplished through an internal communication tool.

These channels can be valuable in raising employees' cybersecurity awareness by displaying key messages related to information security. These messages may include security tips, reminders of the company's security policies, and information about current security risks.

While email alerts are currently less effective, internal communication tools and alert software exist to notify employees on their workstations in an unmissable manner directly. These alerts appear in the middle of the screen, blocking ongoing activities. This channel is best used urgently to ensure no one overlooks the message. It is particularly useful for disseminating instructions that must be immediately implemented, such as disconnecting from the internet, closing email accounts, or refraining from opening received files during an attack.

Moreover, it is possible and beneficial to reinforce these alerts with specific messages on your internal communication screens. As mentioned, dynamic display solutions allow you to pre-prepare various anticipated alert messages that will only be broadcast when needed. These screens are especially useful for keeping your employees informed about the evolving situation during an attack when they are requested not to access their emails for a specific period.

It is crucial to sensitize employees to cybersecurity to protect companies and individuals from cyber-attacks. Traditional tools like internal newsletters and IT charters often fail to inform employees effectively about cybersecurity. For effective awareness, it is essential to implement more engaging and impactful tools that are continuous and up-to-date. This can include dynamic displays, simulated phishing campaigns, interactive e-learning, and dedicated internal communication channels for emergencies. By adopting these tools, companies can strengthen their security posture and reduce the risk of cyber-attacks.