In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations require security awareness training more than ever before to safeguard against escalating threats and vulnerabilities. The proliferation of remote work, the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, and the omnipresence of data privacy regulations have made it imperative for employees to be well-informed about cybersecurity.
Cyber threats are evolving, and so are the defenders. Security Awareness training helps organizations lead the charge in fortifying their digital future.
In the 21st century, data has emerged as one of the most important valuable assets for society. The usage of data has evolved the way we live, how we work, and the way we interact. Data usage is essential in almost every aspect of society.
- Business & Economic Growth
- Healthcare Advancements
- Public Policies & Governance
- Scientific Advancements
- Innovation & Technology
Security awareness training is a linchpin in addressing data loss within organizations. It is a comprehensive education tool that equips employees with the knowledge and skills to protect sensitive data. This training covers various topics, from data handling best practices and phishing awareness to access control and compliance with data protection regulations. It also emphasizes the importance of incident reporting, secure communication, and proper data disposal.
All these are the roles that are essential for the continuous improvement and evolution of society and each one of them includes data usage as essential. As we explored the paramount significance of data, so “With great power, comes great responsibility” and this is how The Security Awareness Organizations play a vital role in safeguarding different individuals and organisations from the threats on the data.
- Not every user is a technical user/developer/security professional
- How the data and file sharing platform is making it so urgent
Data and File sharing has evolved the way in which we all exchange information in the new age. Despite their pros, they arise various cybersecurity challenges due to which cybersecurity awareness becomes important. Some of the challenges are
- Phishing – Use of links by which criminals extract out sensitive information or install malware
- Data Leakage – Sharing in a misconfigured way leads to revealing of confidential data
- Unauthorised Access – weak or compromised credentials can lead to unauthorised access to confidential data
- Compliance and Legal Issues – Sharing sensitive data without necessary security measures leads to non-compliance which in turn potentially result in legal issues.
- Dropbox, Google Suite, Mails, GenAI
- Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud-based file storage & sharing service. It provides a multi-layer protection against threats as well as gets data transferred securely. This feature of the distribution of data across multiple services not only makes syncing faster but also enhances the security of the data included. There are tools by which the administrators can customise dropbox according to their particular needs of the business they run. This introduces the feature of securing data and accounts across various interfaces for the administrators. Dropbox regularly assesses risks and improves the security and confidentiality of the system. They review and update their security policies, regularly train their employees about the security from latest threats and monitor compliance with security policies.
- Google Suite
- Mails
- Gen AI
- Why use policies needs to be stood together and tracked
It is essential to have and track the policies for cyber security because of the following reasons:
- Consistency and Standardization: The organisations set guidelines and rules for the security practices. These standards help these organisations as everyone inside them has to follow these guidelines due to which the security gaps reduce between individual actions.
- Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Many of the Security Awareness Organisations are subject to various laws for ensuring the protection of data and security. Thus, these laws ensure that these entities obey the laws set for them.
- Risk management: The policies by these organisations help assess the risks and formation of strategies to mitigate these risks. The consistent efforts of tracking the new threats and generating security against them.
- Incident & Response: If a security incident arises, then the policies provide a roadmap against the problem that is there which provides security from the damage and also opens the way to recovery in minimum time.
- Education & Training: training about the policies to individuals ensure the individuals to understand the best practices of security, its benefits and the consequences of non compliance.
- Adaptability: The cybersecurity is gradually evolving because of the new threats that emerge regularly. These policies are tracked regularly to ensure the security from new challenges.
- Accountability: These organisations distribute the duties to the different departments inside them to establish accountability for the security. Therefore if sometimes the policies for security are not followed, then the responsible departments can be identified and the appropriate actions can be taken.
- Measurement & Improvement: Tracking policies regularly makes these organisations assess their capabilities and effectiveness against the threats which helps them to constantly improve their policies.
These measures provide means to assess and track security. They provide a structure and framework against the challenges. Thus by standing together and tracking policies, these organisations can establish a culture of security awareness.
- What kind of awareness training are there, and what is required
There are different types of security awareness training, specific trainings may vary based on the requirements of the industry or roles. Some of the awareness trainings are:
- General Cybersecurity Awareness Training: This training provides an overview of cybersecurity threats and best practices for securing the data from these threats. It covers topics like phishing, malware, social engineering, and safe online behaviour.
- Phishing Awareness Training: This training focuses on identifying and avoiding phishing attacks. It helps participants to recognize suspicious emails, links and attachments to understand the tactics used by cybercriminals.
- Social Engineering Awareness Training: This training educates individuals about manipulation techniques that are used to exploit human psychology such as pretexting and baiting.
- Data Protection and Privacy Training: This training emphasizes on the importance of protecting sensitive data, complying with regulations for data protection (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), and respecting the privacy rights.
- Safe Internet Usage Training: This training teaches individuals about safe web browsing, recognizing harmful websites, and understanding the potential risks associated with online activities.
- Mobile Device Security Training: This training addresses security best practices for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, and focuses on app permissions, device encryption, and safe app downloads.
- Remote Work and Telecommuting Security Training: As remote work becomes more prevalent, this training educates participants about secure remote access, VPNs and the protection of sensitive data outside the office.
- Incident Response Training: Incident response training helps individuals understand how to respond to security incidents, including data breaches and other cyber threats.
- Compliance Training: Compliance-specific training ensures that employees understand the industry-specific standards and their compliance requirements.
- No clicking on Links
- Dont open attachments on emails, social media
- Data Loss Prevention
- Show examples and how they could have been prevented
The Colonial Pipeline incident involved the Darkside ransomware. It was later reported Colonial Pipeline had approximately 100GB of data stolen from their network, and the organisation allegedly paid almost $5 million USD to a Darkside affiliate. This attack was done by an ecrime group named Carbon Spider.
Kaseya, a US-based provider of remote management software, was hit by a supply chain attack, which was made public on July 2, 2021. The company announced that attackers could use its VSA product to infect customer machines with ransomware. The attack was carried out by the Russian-based REvil cybercrime group. Customers of the organisation were affected by this attack as it was a large-scale attack.
For Ransomware attacks like these, the measures that could have been or can be taken are as follows:
Endpoint Protection: Modern endpoint protection platforms include Next Generation Antivirus Protection which provides security from the antivirus (as antivirus is the first step in these types of attacks). These also provide firewalls, so that the teams assigned can detect and stop the attack at the endpoint in real time.
Data Backup: Regularly Backing up data into one (or more) external source.
Patch Management: Installing security patches and regularly carrying out checks so that the vulnerabilities of the system can be detected and taken care of.
In July 2020, Twitter was breached by a group of three attackers, who took over popular Twitter accounts. They used social engineering attacks to steal employee credentials to gain access to the company’s internal management systems.
Well-known accounts were hacked including Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. The attackers used the stolen accounts to post bitcoin scams and earned more than $100,000. Two weeks after the events, the US Justice Department charged three suspects.
For Social Engineering attacks, the prevention measures are:
Not opening emails and attachments from suspicious sources: Any suspicious senders or emails even from a trusted source can be initiated by an attacker which can lead to incidents where the data and confidentiality can be breached.
Using Multi Factor authentication: Using Multifactor Authentication ensures the safety of the system or account of the respective organisation or individual that is being attacked online in the time of system compromise.
Being cautious of tempting offers: if the offers feel too promising, one needs to crosscheck online so that the authenticity of any offer can be tested and the individual can be secured from getting into a trap.
Summary
Security awareness training equips staff with the knowledge to identify and thwart potential threats and reinforces a culture of security within the organization. By investing in comprehensive training programs, companies can empower their workforce to be vigilant, proactive, and security-conscious, reducing the risk of breaches and their associated financial and reputational costs.
