How to Train Your Staff on Cyber Security
February 13, 2023, 5 min read
Cyber attacks and data breaches become more and more common every day. So, every business owner must train the staff about cyber security in many aspects. Based on this idea, you might be into cyber security and its training. However, it is a field that requires a well-defined schedule and attention. So, if you are looking for methods to train your staff, you can learn them by reading this article.
Prepare a Schedule
Like every matter, there should be a well-defined plan for good training. If you don’t know where to start, you can think of the purpose first. What is the reason for this training about cyber security? Is it because of the careless cyber security mistakes that you want to decrease? Or is it because you want your staff to recognize the importance of data security?
Another step of preparing a schedule is determining the regularity. The training can be once or twice a month based on the need. If the training requires an emergency, once a week is also possible. However, you should schedule pieces of training annually. The staff would completely forget the information they learned last year.
Make Cyber Security Training a Priority
Companies make many plans and resolutions when it comes to staff training. But over time, they started to be less critical. If you want to train your staff about all terms of cyber security, you have to make it a priority. If the staff sense that it will fade away, not being cared for after months, you wouldn’t be willing to learn.
To demonstrate the importance of this training, you can start by sharing some data. For instance, according to a study published by the Keeper Security and Ponemon Institute in 2018, two-thirds of Server Message Block systems suffer from vulnerability and data breaches. This information can illustrate the value of these pieces of training. Thus, it gets more attention than ever.
Make The Cyber Security Training Mandatory For All Employees
Even though cyber security seems like a task for IT staff, that is not entirely accurate. Cyber security experts’ job is to decrease vulnerability and protect networks from cyber attacks. However, the actions of employees may cause a vulnerability in the system. So, everyone should be aware of data breaches when protecting data.
The staff must be conscious of the types of cyber attacks and how to decrease the possibility of hacking. Regardless of their position in the company, cyber security should matter to them. Because everyone, who uses a computer, is at risk for cyber attacks. Identifying the possible malicious activities can save the company from the workload and a considerable cost.
Test The Success Of This Training
Testing the success of training may sound like an idea from high-school years. But cyber security is a subject that requires discipline and caring. Hence, you should analyse the outcomes after and/or during the training. Does this training help the staff on a day-to-day basis? Does it make them realize the common mistakes that cost a lot of effort, time, and money? Do they seem interested in cyber security?
The answers to those questions can demonstrate the success of the pieces of training. Analyzing the success during the training can allow you to fix some mistakes before it is too late. Hence, a continuous examination is required.
Dedicate A Separate Lesson To The Password
Passwords are crucially important for preventing data breaches. Even though its importance is mentioned repeatedly, some people can stay ignorant. It is still widespread for people to choose easy passwords or one password for every account. To avoid this cyber security threat, you should dedicate a piece of training just for passwords.
During this training, the tutor should mention every aspect of the password. First, it should be long enough. The staff should use multiple character sets. Another essential thing to remember is to choose a different password for every account. Also, it should be changed on a regular basis. While all of these measures sound incredibly hard to the staff, the tutor has to emphasize their importance of it.
Determine Measures For Using Email, And Social Media
The malicious activities that are run by emails increase the vulnerability of a company dramatically, especially if the staff was not trained about cyber security. That’s why you should determine new measures about this subject and publish them with comprehensive guidelines.
The guidelines about emails, social media, and cyber security should include all the necessary information about how to prevent data breaches. The malicious activities run by clicking on suspicious links in emails. Thus, the importance of checking the security of an email should take a significant place in the training.
Keep The Training Up-To-Date
Cyber security is a phenomenon that is evaluated, all the time. So, while you should keep the pieces of training up-to-date, you should also add new lessons when there is an update on the company policy on cyber security. That means companies should conduct security awareness training constantly.
In that way, all of the staff can know the new measurements to prevent data breaches. Since cyber attacks improve continually, the training should be continuous as well.
Conclusion
Cyber security education is a significant part of staff training. Recognizing data protection’s importance, every company should have well-organized cyber security training. In this article, the most important aspects of training are mentioned. By conducting these aspects, companies can apply security training successfully.
Serial methods can analyze the success of the training. Even though you should apply the general methods, you should also be aware of the needs of the company. Besides, you should consider the demands of the staff. With a well-planned schedule, companies can decrease the vulnerability of networks, and prevent data breaches cost-effectively.
FAQ
- What is cyber security training?
Cyber security training is a kind of education that encourages the employees to recognize the importance and necessities of cyber security. It is an essential step towards data protection.
- Why is cyber security training a must?
Cyber security training is a must for every company because of many reasons. While it supports data protection and a decrease in the vulnerability of networks, it is also beneficial economically.
- What to consider while planning a cyber security training?
The key point while planning a cyber security training is planning a workable program. Besides, examining the success of the plan is essential.
- What terms should be focused on during the training?
Focusing on anti-virus solutions, password manager, multi-factor authentication, and virtual private network (VPN) is essential during the training.
- How to measure the success of the training?
To measure the success of cyber security training, quizzes can be conducted. Rewarding employees is important at this point.
Source:
Cyber Defense Magazine, Keeper, Coxblue, Elearning Industry, Efront Learning, Get App, KeepNetLabs.
https://start.keeper.io/2018-ponemon-report
https://www.coxblue.com/8-tips-and-best-practices-on-how-to-train-employees-for-cyber-security/
https://elearningindustry.com/cybersecurity-training-tips
https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2019/03/cyber-security-training-for-employees-101.html
https://www.getapp.com/resources/cybersecurity-training-for-employees/
https://www.keepnetlabs.com/what-is-cybersecurity-training-why-is-cybersecurity-training-necessary/
