The Texas State Government has introduced new legislation making annual cybersecurity training mandatory for all government employees. According to The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), “House Bill (HB) 3834 (86R) requires state and local government employees to complete a certified training program. Local governments must complete training by June 14, 2020. Local governments must certify their training compliance by June 15, 2020, using the Cybersecurity Training Certification for Local Governments form. Therefore, it is important to understand the benefits of security awareness training.”
Why is security awareness training still so important today?
Here is some information to show the importance of cybersecurity training.
What are the Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
With the advent of technology, there is an epidemic of cybersecurity threats and no one’s data is safe anymore. Humans are the weakest link in any digital security system. People forget things and make mistakes, and some of them follow malpractices unconsciously. Hence, a proper training process of educating employees on a variety of cybersecurity risks and making them aware of potential weak spots is significant. Learning the best practices helps to prevent breaches.
Although technological defenses help in preventing breaches, it requires people to handle it. Turning on the firewall, acknowledging security warnings, and updating software – all are done with human influence. Attackers target not directly the defense system but target the employees as an easy way to enter their protected networks. Security awareness training makes employees more aware of the scope of these threats, risks, and what’s at stake if security fails. It helps employees do all these tasks with a piece of proper knowledge and guidance. Having a staff well-trained in cybersecurity makes the security of an organization’s digital network less risky. Eventually, it becomes a greater financial benefit to the organization as fewer risks mean fewer financial losses due to the cyber attacks.
Not only that, security awareness training helps people to win more customers. The majority are reluctant to do business with untrustworthy partners. Staff with good security awareness impacts the reputation and attracts more customers.
Some common cyber threats include:
- Phishing and spear phishing
- Malware
- Ransomware
- Baiting
- Business Email Compromise (BEC)
- Online scams
- Data breaches
- Secure passwords
- Privacy
- Employee Errors – (Unintended disclosures, Improper disposals, Accidental deletions)
- Safe computing
- Mobile protection
- Water holing/Water hole attack
What should you do?
Getting into compliance, using anti-phishing tactics, and being more aware of password security are some of the best practices. Yet, there is more to learn. Prevention is always better than cure. A security-aware workforce is becoming more important exponentially. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Therefore, take preventative actions and protect yourself and others from potential cybersecurity breaches.
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Good Luck!
