Implementing a Security Awareness Program
When coworkers can’t sit side by side in the office, it’s harder for them to know who they’re really dealing with. Is the person signing into your company system actually who they say they are? And with a huge email uptick due to work going 100% remote, workers can be in a hurry to excavate their inboxes and might not be sufficiently cautious.
That’s why companies must devise and implement good security awareness programs and make cybersecurity courses available to all workers. Employees should use two-factor authentication and create stronger passwords and IT professionals must monitor access controls remotely. Fortunately, this isn’t as daunting as it may sound, because Alterity offers excellent cybersecurity classes online.
Phishing
Cybercriminals are constantly honing their attack strategies. According to Accenture’s March 2019 Ninth Annual Cost of Cybercrime Study, criminals are increasingly targeting companies’ human layer with ransomware and phishing schemes. Criminals have identified humans as the weakest link in cyber defense—and now your employees are alone at home, virtually undefended.
Phishers send fraudulent emails or text messages trying to trick people into giving away their personal information. Employees probably know better than to send a bank account number to somebody in Nigeria, and hopefully, they won’t believe their grandson has been thrown in jail and needs bail money. But scammers are growing more sophisticated. They may send emails that look like they come from your company, asking employees for sensitive information about themselves or work projects. Phishers frequently trick people into parting with passwords, account numbers, and payment information, and may send fake invoices. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, people have reported losses up to $57 million to phishing scams in a single year.
This is why you need to implement a security awareness program that includes regular phishing tests. When combined with a suite of online topics that focus on raising awareness and communicating the reasons for change, employees are more likely to alter the behaviors that put your company at risk. Your workers deserve to keep their personal information safe. And you must make this investment to mitigate risk to your company.
How Alterity Can Help
Alterity is here to help your employees and your company stay safe during this time of increased remote work. We deliver fully virtual courses to your employees through a 12-month cyber security training program. Each month, workers learn about a different topic through a lively mix of handouts, videos, and podcasts that are available through an intuitive, web-based learning portal. Posters and communications are also available to help you launch your program and promote adoption.
We’re excited to help your workers become more informed cyber citizens. Sample our course offerings on our On-Demand Learning Portal today!