If we were ever on track to live in The Matrix, that vision of the future has gone the way of the flip phone. By now, we’ve all seen so much news about cyberattacks and data breaches—or have experienced an attack ourselves—in that the techno-dystopian fantasies of sci-fi movies and books seem like quaint relics of a more innocent time. Slow-motion fight scenes look silly in contrast to ransomware, phishing, and DDoS attacks that can take down banks, retailers, hospitals, and power grids. Cybersecurity salvation won’t come from Neo and his knowledge of kung fu, but Sheryl in accounting and her password manager.
In 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center noted that phishing complaints accounted for a third of the 889,000 complaints received.
When 74% of account takeover attacks start with phishing, it turns out that bit about Sheryl from accounting is no joke. Employees’ actions—or their inactions—can make or break an organization’s cybersecurity program.
According to TechTarget,
“One of the primary hurdles in establishing a comprehensive cybersecurity culture is the general lack of awareness and understanding of cybersecurity risks among employees. Many individuals might not be aware of how their actions can impact the organization’s security posture. This includes seemingly innocuous behaviors, like clicking on phishing links, using weak passwords or sharing sensitive information without proper precautions. The increasing complexity and technical nature of cybersecurity can also make it difficult for employees outside the IT department to grasp its importance, leading to a disconnect between security teams and the rest of the organization.”
It’s not that organizations completely lack the resources or technical ability to implement data protection measures; it’s that people have trouble breaking their bad digital habits. It’s our co-workers and colleagues—not machines, not applications—who pose the greatest threat to cybersecurity.
Fortunately, with the right approach, any organization can effectively train its employees on data privacy and improve its cybersecurity and workforce compliance outcomes. In today’s data-rich environment, you may have the most high-tech security deployed to your systems. But if your workforce isn’t up to speed on the cybersecurity dangers at hand and how each employee is crucial to combating them, you’re neglecting your most important protection.
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Fine-tune your written programs, policies, and response plans using a comprehensive library of best practices as your guide. And use testing and monitoring tools to ensure that customer information is locked up tight. Demonstrate your privacy and safeguards practices are top-notch with less effort.
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