Phishing attacks are on the rise and becoming increasingly complex! According to the 2022 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, phishing is the most common way for cyber criminals to penetrate an organization. Once accessible, larger-scale attacks are launched, like ransomware, to paralyze the company by stealing data or inflicting financial loss. Today, phishing accounts for roughly 90% of data breaches and on average costs an organization $5 million!
While these statistics are troublesome, there are proactive measures business owners can take to protect their assets and reputation. The most popular preventative measure is instituting security awareness training - it’s a powerful defense asset with impressive ROI that maximizes your security spending while protecting your bottom line. Security awareness training programs are aimed at educating users (employees) to understand the role they play in helping to combat security breaches. Effective training programs should be ongoing and continuous while providing your users with best practices for good cyber hygiene, outlining the security risks associated with their actions, and ways to identify potential threat characteristics in email and on the web. Some training programs even incorporate simulated phishing campaigns to allow for testing and measuring employee vulnerability.
All in all, security awareness training enables your users to make smarter security decisions in their day-to-day roles, helping you manage the ongoing problem of social engineering and strengthening your human firewall.
There are hundreds of security awareness training programs available, but not all are created equal. When it comes to choosing the right training program for your organization, DMC Technology Group (DMC) can help you determine which best suits your business needs. Contact DMC today to learn more and find out why should you devote a portion of your security budget to security awareness training.
Patrick Sheehan, President
DMC Technology Group, Inc.
