Why Employees Are Your Biggest Security Threat
It happens in almost every office, almost every day – people open emails from unknown senders, or they click on a mysterious link, or print out sensitive info and leave it sitting in the printer tray. While these types of actions are pretty common, they leave your network and business vulnerable.
Every business needs IT security to keep their networks, users and data safe. Email filtering, firewalls, making sure software is updated and printers are secure are all important security measures. However, even with the newest and best software and network monitoring in place, the biggest threat to your IT security is actually your employees.
Chances are they are not malicious or would do anything to hurt your company intentionally. Still, the fact is, human error is among the top causes of many business cyberattacks.
Here are the top ways your employees may be making your company vulnerable.
Phishing and Link Scams
Phishing scams are designed to trick your employees into providing valuable information. Often, it’s an email that appears to be from a legitimate source asking for confidential information. Or, they may be prompted to download a piece of software that is malicious. Train your team to recognize the signs, and never click on a link, or download a file from an unconfirmed source.
Social Engineering Attacks
The goal of a social engineering attempt is to get people to break normal security procedures. For example, a criminal might pretend to be a co-worker in need of access to a secure file. To prevent these types of attacks, make sure you have clear security procedures in place and never second-guess them.
Unrestrained Web Browsing
The Internet is a necessary resource, but it can also be dangerous. Many browsers come with features to protect users from dangerous websites or ads, but the risk is still there. With web filtering, your employees can be blocked from visiting known malicious websites.
Inadequate or Breached Passwords
Teach your employees password best practices. Include the basics like how to create a secure password, why they should never write passwords down, and the importance of changing them frequently. A password tool and Multi-Factor Authentication can store them safely, make sure they’re not forgotten and validate the employee is who they say they are when they attempt to login.
Here at Atlantic we believe employee awareness training is one of the most effective ways to protect your business from malicious actors and prevent possible breaches. We can identify your team’s vulnerabilities with our exclusive stack of assessment tools including our Ransomware Simulator Tool, Email Exposure Check, USB Security Test and more!
Contact us today and ask us about our cyber awareness training solutions for your team.
