Continuing end-user training and education
In conjunction with implementing adequate policies and procedures, IT Security teams should continuously educate and train their company’s workforce. This helps to ensure employees are properly securing their endpoint vulnerabilities and - perhaps most importantly - can identify and prevent phishing attempts, which have become exponentially more sophisticated and prevalent in recent years. It is also important to keep in mind that a successful phishing attempt on a remote device could allow a cyber criminal to infiltrate a company’s private network once the employee owning the device returns to the office. To prevent such an event, hold regular training sessions with your employees to run through what a targeted phishing attempt could look like. Some organizations may even choose to test employees with fake phishing emails to identify vulnerable targets and prioritize education and training.
Also, remember to send out flyers and notices on the latest security threats and check in with teams individually to make sure they are staying vigilant. The more you continue to educate your end-users, the more they will be able to detect and avoid attacks. That being said, before asking employees to return to the office, you should have a solid plan in place for reconnecting to your office network. After months of being dispersed, having everyone connect to the same private server could present serious risks. Instead, consider preparing a guest network for employees to connect to first. This way, employees won’t put the organization in a vulnerable position, and you can safely run security checks in a controlled environment.
Regular training can ensure that employees are suitably informed and aware of phishing attacks. By educating them on how to spot, report and remove suspicious emails, employees become empowered to provide the first line of defense against attackers. Lastly, adopting a layered, strategic approach to internal training and cyber security solutions can enable a company’s cybersecurity approach to be fully capable of addressing and resolving cyber-threats.