Human error is a major cybersecurity risk. Even if your business implements best-in-class cybersecurity solutions, you could still suffer a data breach if one of your staff mistakenly introduces malware into your network.
Cybersecurity awareness training is designed to address this problem. It educates the members of your organization on cybersecurity risks, as well as the technologies and measures to address these risks. This type of training is not only for front-line members of an organization.
Managers and officers are prime targets for cybercriminals
C-level officers are 12 times more likely to be targeted by a cyberattack than the average employee.
Many people believe that front-line employees are the most attractive targets for cybercriminals, but research suggests otherwise. Data from Verizon indicates that C-level officers are 12 times more likely to be targeted by a cyberattack than the average employee. And when cyberattacks against executives do succeed, they are usually disastrous. Take business email compromise (BEC) scams, for example.
BEC scams are a variety of phishing scams that specifically target a company’s high-level officers. The scammer pretends to be someone an officer knows, usually a colleague, superior, vendor, or client. Scammers also can gain access to an email account via fake login pages or via stolen or compromised passwords. Once the gains the target’s trust or is able to access their email, they then use the information obtained to instruct the target to divulge sensitive business information or authorize a money transfer to a fraudulent bank account. BEC scams are so effective and successful that they caused over $1.8 billion in losses in 2020, making them among the costliest of all cyberattacks.
There are several reasons why officers and executives are popular targets. For one, they have greater access privileges than ordinary staff. This means that stealing their credentials will give cybercriminals nearly unfettered access to a company’s data and other resources. Most higher-ups can also authorize large money transfers, which is why BEC scams lead to hefty losses.
Cybersecurity awareness training programs can help your company’s managers and executives identify and elude BEC and other cyber threats that target them. These programs will also keep them conscious of crucial but often overlooked cybersecurity best practices, such as using password managers, implementing multi-factor authentication, and keeping systems patched and up-to-date.
Business leaders are crucial to any cybersecurity initiative’s success
Cybersecurity is not something you set and then forget. Cyberthreats are perpetually evolving, so your company must continuously invest in tools and measures to protect your IT systems. You must also ingrain cybersecurity in your company culture to ensure that your staff will be proactive with digital hygiene.
Executives and senior managers plot the course for the organization. Being part of cybersecurity awareness training gives them an idea of what cyberthreats the company is facing and how the business’s security posture fares against such threats. Understanding the problem helps them make the right decisions in terms of fortifying the company’s cybersecurity infrastructure. It will also assist them in developing policies toward establishing a cybersecurity-focused company culture.
The success of your cybersecurity awareness program will depend largely on who facilitates the training. Our IT specialists at Fidelis have years of experience in cybersecurity, making them among the best people to educate your team on how to identify and address cyberthreats.
To find out how we can further augment your business’s cyber defenses, download this free eBook today.
