Safe Internet Browsing Tactics to Teach Employees
Did you know that human error is involved in 95% of all security breaches? No matter how much money you spend on firewalls, encryption, and secure access devices for your company, employees can still welcome security breaches into your network through carelessness or ignorance. From phishing emails to stolen laptops, there are countless ways that cybersecurity threats are posed to your business. However, by thoroughly training your employees on their cyber habits you can effectively avoid difficult and costly situations for your company and your team.
Establish Clear Protocols
The first step to training employees on cybersecurity is not to teach them how to avoid a threat, but what to do if one occurs. No matter how well trained they are in the matter, accidents happen and threats can slip through. To minimize the amount of damage done to your company, ensure that all employees are well versed in the security protocols they should follow in case of a breach. Should employees immediately shut down their computers? Should they try to manage the problem on their own or step away from the device immediately? Who should they report a breach to first, and how should they go about this? Teaching employees how to protect themselves and what to do in case of an emergency will help manage the problem and minimize the potential damage done to your company’s system and valuable information. When it comes to cybersecurity threats, time is of the essence.
Teach Good Password Practices
It may seem obvious, but having a secure password is an essential way of protecting your personal and corporate information. However, the most common password used online is “password”. You may assume that employees know good password practices, but fewer than you expect will apply them without proper training. Teach employees to change their passwords periodically, always choosing strong passcodes that have at least 8 characters with a mix of different cases, numbers, and special characters. Employees should also use different passwords for their work accounts than they use for their personal accounts. If their personal information is hacked or stolen, the last thing you want is for the hacker to gain access to corporate files as well. Always encourage them to utilize two-factor authentication where possible, and promote the use of password managers over keeping physical notes of passwords. Training employees to follow these steps will help keep work computers safe and information inaccessible to hackers.
IT Company meeting
Think Before You Click
From Phishing emails to fake URLs, there are hundreds of malicious tactics that are utilized by hackers to access your system. Emphasize the importance of thoroughly assessing links, email addresses, and attachments before clicking in order to minimize your risk of a security breach. Employees may receive phishing emails from phony addresses containing harmful links or attachments. Before clicking or downloading anything, train employees to always double-check the email address itself. Hackers often use a familiar email address with one letter or number altered in order to fool employees who aren’t paying close attention. Employees should also be trained to be extremely wary of links or buttons in pop-up windows. If employees are ever unsure, they should visit the official website by manually typing in the address themselves. Taking extra precautions when opening or downloading anything on a work computer will help keep company information private and systems clean.
If you’re unsure of how to go about teaching your employees proper cybersecurity, trust the experts at C3 to provide thorough lessons that will enhance your business’s safety. We provide baseline testing to assess the Phish-prone percentage of your employees, offer the world’s largest library of security awareness training content, and supply you with enterprise-strength reporting that includes a personal timeline for each user. Compromised cybersecurity can be devastating for companies, especially small businesses, which is why it’s always better to be safe than sorry. To take the first step toward reducing security risk related to human error, give C3 Tech a call today at (714) 689-1700 and find out more about our managed IT and network security services.
