How Regular Security Awareness Training Can Prevent Major Data Breaches

Published on

July 23, 2024

Each and every day we are exposed to phishing and ransomware attacks at work. Employees are the weak link in an organization’s network security. They need to be trained to watch for these cyber-attacks in order to protect your business. StoredTech helps you test your employees with interactive security training regarding safe online behaviors, common scams, and understanding the tactics used by cybercriminals.

The Risk and Cost of Doing Nothing

Implementing a security awareness program is about mitigating risk. Consider the following factors that come along with your organization being compromised:

Time lost remediating a cyber incident or full‑blown breach, often with expensive third‑party providers

Downtime and loss of business functions

Financial losses resulting from stolen funds, ransom payments, and fraud

Reputational damage to your organization

Loss of intellectual property

Increased cybersecurity insurance premiums and potential fines due to non‑compliance with industry‑specific standards/regulations

Security awareness training has become a critical component of reducing risk and safeguarding digital assets. The benefits and ROI (return on investment) show that employee security training was among the top three measures that significantly reduced data breach costs, saving organizations an average of $232,867. By implementing security awareness training, organizations can decrease their vulnerability to phishing attacks by an impressive 82%. A proactive security awareness training program is an essential strategy to reduce the risk of phishing and social engineering attacks before they result in a cyber-attack or data breach.

91%

of successful data breaches started with a spear phishing attack

2/3

of all ransomware infections start from phishing

74%

of data breaches involve the human element

How Does Security Awareness Training Work?

Determine the Risk Impact

Baseline testing will allow you to evaluate how likely employees are to fall for a scam, serving as a diagnostic tool to measure their current awareness and susceptibility to cybersecurity threats. By tracking how employees respond to these simulated attacks—whether they click on malicious links, download unsafe attachments, or divulge sensitive information— your organization can identify vulnerabilities and areas where security training is particularly needed. The results from baseline testing provide valuable insights that help in tailoring a security awareness program to address specific weaknesses.

Train Your Users

Each business operates in its unique environment, facing distinct challenges and threats based on its industry, size, and their operations. Tailoring the training content specifically to your business helps ensure that employees are not just acquainted with general security practices, but are equipped with relevant knowledge and skills pertinent to their specific roles and the company's operations.

Interactive Training Makes Learning Fun and Effective

StoredTech’s security awareness training platform includes interactive modules, quizzes, videos, games, posters, and newsletters as part of their security awareness training platform. Engaging your employees with hands-on, interactive learning experiences to make the training enjoyable and more effective.

Phish Your Users

You should be regularly sending out automated phishing simulations. These emails expose your employees to realistic scam scenarios in a controlled manner, helping them recognize and respond to phishing attempts. This not only tests the current level of security awareness among employees but also reinforces best practices and keeps the knowledge fresh.

Work to Fight Against Phishing

In addition to custom training and ongoing simulation tests, one of the standout features StoredTech can provide your business is the Phish Alert Button. This button is integrated into your company's email platform, allowing your employees to report suspected phishing emails with a single click. The email is quickly blocked from the users inbox to prevent any exposure and StoredTech will analyze it for further review. Your business is set up to proactively detect, report, and mitigate phishing threat with this multi-layered security awareness program.

Develop a Stronger Security Culture for Your Workplace

Building a strong security culture involves combining tools and technologies with people, policies and procedures. Security awareness training is essential because it educates your team on the latest security threats and best practices to mitigate them. This training helps foster a culture of cybersecurity awareness within your company, making each employee an active participant in the defense against cyber-attacks. By staying informed and getting regular phishing simulation tests, your team can recognize potential threats such as phishing attempts, ransomware, and other malicious activities.

Humans are the largest attack surface, and you can strengthen your organization’s cybersecurity posture by:

Educating your team about cybersecurity risks and the latest attack strategies.
Equipping them with practical skills to identify and avoid malicious attempts.
Testing their knowledge in a controlled environment, which helps in identifying potential vulnerabilities.
Creating a proactive cybersecurity culture that can evolve with changing security landscapes.

Implementing these measures not only protects your company’s data but also safeguards your reputation and builds trust with your clients and partners. We at StoredTech are committed to assisting you in these initiatives and are here to support every step of the way.