It is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October which means that it is time to review your organization’s training program and promote good cybersecurity habits to your employees. 

Here are four key messages you can use to drive home the importance of personal responsibility in cybersecurity.

Using Strong Passwords and a Password Manager

One of the first things that businesses should do is to require their employees to use strong passwords. A strong password is at least eight characters long and includes a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Using a strong password is one of the best ways to help protect your account from being hacked.

In addition to requiring strong passwords, businesses should also encourage their employees to use a password manager. A password manager is a software that helps you to manage your passwords and keep them safe.

Password managers can help to make it easier for you to use strong passwords by generating them for you and storing them in a secure location.

Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication

When it comes to online security, there is no such thing as being too cautious. That is why more and more businesses are implementing multi-factor authentication(MFA) as an extra layer of protection for their employees. MFA can help prevent unauthorized access to company data and systems even if an employee’s password is compromised.

Before MFA can do the job, employees need to be properly trained on how to enable and use it. Otherwise, they may find it more of a nuisance than a security measure.

Here are a few tips for training employees on MFA:

• Make sure employees understand why MFA is important.

• Explain to employees why MFA is being implemented and how it will help protect the company’s data. It is also important to stress that MFA is not a replacement for other security measures like strong passwords. It is an additional layer of protection.

• Keep the instructions simple.

• When employees are being trained on how to enable MFA, make sure the instructions are clear and concise. Use step-by-step instructions with screenshots (if possible).

• Allow employees to test MFA before using it for real.

• To help employees get comfortable with MFA, create a test environment where they can try it out without affecting live data. This will let them get used to the MFA process without needing to worry about making a mistake.

Updating Software

Software updates will often include security patches that can help to protect your system from being hacked. However, if employees don’t know how to update software, they might inadvertently leave your system vulnerable.

There are a few different methods that you can use to train employees on how to update software. Some of them are:

• Create a training video that goes over the steps involved.
• Creating a written step-by-step guide that employees can reference when they need to update software.
• One-on-one training with an I.T. professional.

Whichever method you choose, it is important to make sure that employees understand the importance of updating software.

Cybersecurity is only going to become more important in the years to come so it is essential that your employees are properly trained on how to keep your system safe.

Recognizing and Reporting Phishing

Phishing is a type of online attack that uses fraudulent emails or other communications in an attempt to trick people into revealing sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers.

93% of modern breaches involve a phishing attack.

If an employee receives a suspicious email, they should not respond to it or click on any of the links contained within it. Instead, they should report it to their IT department or another designated point of contact. By doing so, businesses can help protect themselves from phishing attacks and other cyber threats.

While it is important for businesses to have security measures in place to protect their data, it is equally important for employees to be aware of the dangers of phishing and how to prevent themselves from becoming victims. By taking the time to train employees on how to recognize and report phishing attempts, businesses can go a long way in protecting themselves from cyberattacks.

Help Your Team Adopt a Culture of Cybersecurity

As we all become more reliant on technology, it is important to remember that we need to be vigilant about our cybersecurity. By following the tips above and staying alert, you can help to keep your company’s data safe from cyberattacks.

It is urgent that we all do our part to protect ourselves and our businesses from cybercrime.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect time to make sure that your employees are up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity threats and how to protect against them.

Cybersecurity is vital regardless of the size of your company. Contact us at (860) 577-8060 or via our contact form to learn more about how we can help.