When businesses think about cyber security, technology is often the first thing that comes to mind.
Firewalls, antivirus software, network security and access controls all play an important role in protecting an organisation. But even with strong technical security in place, there is another potential route into your business: your people.
Cyber criminals know this.
Rather than trying to defeat sophisticated security technology, attackers can target employees with convincing phishing emails, fraudulent login pages and other social engineering techniques designed to persuade someone to hand over information or take an unsafe action.
That’s why employee awareness should form an important part of your wider cyber security strategy.
Cyber security is a people problem too
Employees use email, access company systems, handle sensitive information and communicate with customers and suppliers every day.
That makes them an important part of your organisation’s security.
A convincing phishing email could appear to come from a colleague, supplier or senior member of the business. It might encourage someone to open an attachment, follow a link or enter their Microsoft 365 credentials into a fraudulent website.
Without the right awareness, identifying these attacks can be difficult.
The answer isn’t to view employees as the problem. It’s to give them the knowledge and experience they need to recognise threats and respond appropriately.
Why once-a-year training isn’t enough
Cyber threats don’t stand still.
Attackers continually adapt their techniques, which means security awareness shouldn’t be treated as a box-ticking exercise completed once a year and then forgotten.
Regular training helps keep cyber security front of mind.
It can teach employees what suspicious activity looks like, how phishing attacks work, how to handle company information appropriately and what they should do when something doesn’t look right.
Just as importantly, training can be reinforced through assessments and realistic simulations.
Put your employees to the test
Knowing whether your employees would recognise a real attack can be difficult until they’re actually faced with one.
That’s where phishing simulations can be particularly valuable.
A controlled simulation recreates the techniques used in real-world phishing attacks without exposing the business to the danger of a genuine attack.
The results can help identify where additional awareness or training may be needed.
Rather than assuming your organisation is secure, you gain useful information about where your human cyber risks actually exist.
Build security awareness into your business
At Ashdown Solutions, our Cyber Risk Security Training is designed to help businesses turn their employees into a cyber security asset.
Teams are enrolled into our Cyber Training system and can complete a questionnaire to establish their training requirements, including relevant mandatory training.
Modern video-based courses can then be assigned according to those needs.
As each course is completed, employees are assessed before progressing through the designated training plan.
The aim is to make security awareness an ongoing process rather than a one-off exercise.
How exposed is your business?
Understanding your current position is an important first step.
Ashdown Solutions offers a free cyber risk report designed to identify potential routes of attack.
The process can include scanning your domain and the dark web for possible exposure, alongside a phishing simulation replicating real-world attack techniques.
Your one-page report can then provide your human risk score, estimated ‘Time-to-Breach’, phishing simulation results, information about data exposed on the dark web and a step-by-step remediation plan.
It gives you a clearer picture of where your risks may be and, importantly, what you can do about them.
Want to see how cyber security awareness training can work in practice?
Watch our short video to discover how Cyber Risk Security Training can help strengthen your organisation’s human line of defence and build greater awareness of the cyber threats employees face every day. It’s a quick introduction to why ongoing employee education matters and how better awareness can help reduce the opportunities cyber criminals have to target your business.
Turn your people into part of your defence
Cyber security isn’t only about buying more technology.
Your employees interact with your systems and information every day. Giving them the knowledge to recognise threats can add another important layer to your organisation’s security.
If you’d like to understand your organisation’s human cyber risk, speak to the Ashdown Solutions team.
See how at risk your business is with your free Cyber Risk Report, or book a call with our team to discuss your cyber security requirements.