Over the past several years, cybercrime has hit record highs. And as businesses become ever more technological and interconnected, digital crime is only set to rise. The cybersecurity of every organization relies heavily on its digital infrastructure as well as a good IT team ready and able to support it.

Nevertheless, cybercrime isn't only about complicated pieces of software that hackers use to infiltrate organizations. The bulk of what's considered digital crime doesn't exploit technical vulnerabilities within a system, but rather the end users that utilize these systems daily.

So, when we talk about end-user security training, we are referring to raising awareness among your staff members who can become easy targets for hackers. Anyone who is using the internet daily can inadvertently provide access to your company's sensitive data. They need to receive the proper training to spot and avoid these threats, in the first place.

Phishing Attacks

There are many security threats that end users are exposed to. One of the most common, the most devastating, and ironically enough, one of the easiest to defend against are phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are nothing more than ploys designed to solicit sensitive information from end-users (passwords, user names, social security numbers, etc.), by pretending to be an authority figure, colleague, or a familiar person.

Once someone provides their password, for instance, the cybercriminal will have access to that user's information and email list. Accessing a low-level employee's inbox may not seem like such a big deal, but they can use it to phish their way up the corporate ladder and gain access to the entire company's database. Hackers will, for a time, be able to impersonate their victim without anyone knowing it. And the frustrating part about all of this is that, with the proper knowledge, phishing attacks are easy to defend against.

The Importance of End User Security Training

Providing the training and raising awareness among staff members about the types of security threats that target them directly, should be at the top of every security investment. Unfortunately, however, this is rarely the case, with personal training seldom finding its way into the budget.

A company's IT security is more dependent on its end-users that most realize. With healthcare, finance, biotech, and other industries becoming more dependent on IT solutions, security training needs to be a priority for both managers and employees alike. Without them, internal threats are only set to increase over time. Many employees use unmonitored systems or have access to the systems they do not need.

The reality of the matter is that end-user security training will increase your employees' ability to keep your organization secure, keep up with the changes in system updates, company policies, and new threats. By helping your staff members recognize these dangers and handle various security incidents, many cyber-attacks will be circumvented.

The security and future success of any digital-dependent organization may depend on their employees being able to know what a security threat looks like and report it to the IT team. It can be that simple. And with the right training, this process can be a lot simpler and more cost-effective for your entire workforce.

Together with Managed Solution, you will be able to keep your data and systems secure from any internal or external threats. Contact us today to figure out a personalized solution for your organization.