Cybersecurity In The Workplace: What To Teach Your Employees In 2024

Cybersecurity in the workplace is set to remain as one of the biggest issues facing companies large and small around the world in 2024… a trend that has continued for a number of years now.Cyber crime is happening more frequently, and the stakes are always getting higher. 

According to Varonis, hackers attack somewhere in the world every 39 seconds and the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million.

It’s expected that global spending on IT security will reach $128 billion by 2023, as more and more companies realize that prevention is much better than a cure.

Of course, the cyber threat landscape is always shifting and changing as threats evolve and cyber criminals become more sophisticated.

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The top five cyber security issues for 2024 are predicted to be:

1. Phishing

This shows no sign of easing off… in fact it is estimated that one in every 99 emails is a phishing attempt looking to dupe the recipient into providing credentials through an email that looks like it is from a legitimate source.

Phishing is no longer just limited to emails – increasingly fraudsters are sending text notifications purporting to be from reputable companies.

2. Issues with BYOD policies

Many companies and schools have Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies that provide flexibility and save costs by allowing users to use their own personal devices for work or education. 

The down side to this is that device management can be more difficult and there is an increased risk of malware, viruses, data breaches and other vulnerabilities because of the lack of control over the device in question.

3. Data privacy and data breaches

Personal data is a hot commodity on the black market. Companies that store personal data about people, therefore, are at increased risk of being targeted by those who would like to get a hold of it. 

It is also important to remember the basics of data security. For example, when integrating with Active Directory, always use HTTPS protocols and SSL certificates. There are some vulnerabilities in Windows 10 when it comes to using the Lockscreen Mode and Internet Explorer (access to the files from the Lockscreen App even on locked computers). And many other nuances you have to remember and teach your colleagues.

On the other side of the coin, failure to comply with regulatory requirements, fore example the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can put organizations at risk of massive fines and legal action.

4. Increasing incidences of ransomware attacks

 While they no longer always grab the headlines, there’s been a steady stream of ransomware attacks throughout 2019 aimed at large organizations such as government agencies, schools and healthcare providers around the world. These attacks disrupt and destabilize systems and even cripple some organizations, stopping them from being able to do the work they need to do.

It’s anticipated that this will continue in 2024, and attacks are not just confined to exploits in old systems – vulnerabilities in cloud-based computing systems are also being targeted.

5. Human error and negligence

All the automated threat detection systems in the world are no match for human error and negligence, which is the main cause of all data breaches. Whether it’s through a malicious act or because someone has been careless, employees are often the weakest link in a company’s cyber security deference.

Cybersecurity skills training – more important than ever

Staying ahead of these trends requires a multi-pronged approach… and one of the cyber security best practices is to find ways to prevent your employees being that weakest link in the first place.

Training your employees in cybersecurity is essential to protect your company’s data. Not only do you need to have cybersecurity comprehensively dealt with and included as part of the onboarding process, it’s critical that you follow up with refresher training and hints, tips and advice to ensure that security is front of mind.

By building a culture of  cybersecurity in the workplace your employees will know how to identify a threat and what steps to take to avoid becoming a victim of a cyber criminal – or to minimize any damage if they’ve made a mistake.

Keeping security at the forefront of employees’ attention can ensure that they are less likely to make costly mistakes in the first place.

Cyber security tips for the workplace

Communicating face-to-face isn’t always preferred by IT professionals, and in large companies it isn’t even practical all the time anyway.   Not only that, but you need to compete with lots of other information that employees are being bombarded with every day, from a variety of sources. Innovative solutions that will stand out to them are going to be necessary.

Try some of these cyber security tips for the workplace:

• Use full screen lock screen alerts to really get peoples’ attention when there is a known threat.
• Have your senior leadership team set an example and encourage them to talk about the importance of cyber security rules at every appropriate opportunity – leading by example from the top down is a great way to embed any significant change within an organization.
• Send hints and tips via the scrolling ticker – a good way to remind people of ongoing cyber security issues right in front of them as they work every day, but without being too intrusive.
• Have lunchtime discussions and other staff forums dedicated to cyber security, perhaps with a guest from outside the organization who can talk about the seriousness.
• Regularly test your employees’ knowledge via the quizzes and surveys module – this will give you results in real time so you can identify any gaps in knowledge and work to remedy them.
• Have internal ambassadors and champions for cyber security who can help to model cyber security best practices in the workplace and also assist others who may be having problems adhering to guidelines and policies.
• Celebrate any milestones or achievements to help highlight the importance of cyber security – for example if you know that 100 phishing emails have been received in the company in a particular month but nobody clicked on them, that’s something to be proud of.
• Use screensavers or corporate wallpapers to highlight important security tips and reminders on employees’ computer screens.
• Create video content that tells a story about the importance of cyber security, tailored to your company and its specific environment.
• Create digital signage displays with the software turning any screens in your company into visually interesting moving billboards, with limitless ways to tell your cyber security story and remind everyone about the role they have to play in keeping company data safe.

All these functions are available in the DeskAlerts software. Learn how you can use it to enhance cybersecurity in the workplace - download the free infographic.