Over the past 12 months, 50% of UK businesses have experienced a cyber attack or data breach, with 84% of incidents being the result of phishing for initial access (Gov.uk). Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and social engineering tactics are still the preferred method of cyber criminals to gain unauthorised access to business system and data.
Performing testing on your technologies is a great way to make sure that vulnerabilities are reduced, however securing your human firewall is just as important. Embedding a resilient cyber security culture throughout your organisation is a key defence mechanism for protecting your vital business assets and creating a vigilant, robust workforce.
Ultimately, a proactive and resilient cyber security culture begins with awareness. There are several methods of building cyber security awareness, from relevant, accredited training, practical exercises and scenarios, leading from the top-down, and policies and procedures. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into how you can look to create a resilient cyber security culture throughout your organisation and how you can build a robust human firewall to fend off social engineering attacks.
Understanding cyber security culture
Protecting your organisation’s digital assets requires regular testing and monitoring to identify emerging vulnerabilities and threats. However, this also includes making sure the individuals using these technologies are secure too; this is where building a resilient cyber security culture comes in. Cyber security culture is the collective mindset and behaviours that prioritise data protection and the security of digital assets.
Creating a cyber security culture means your employees at all levels of your organisation understand their role in upholding cyber security measures and following best practices. It involves equipping employees with the knowledge, skills, and resources to identify and reduce data breaches, watch out for attack attempts, and follow the right processes.
Fostering a cyber security culture makes sure your entire workforce knows how they’re responsible for protecting the business’s devices and data. This allows your organisation to remain compliant, reduce risk, and demonstrate a commitment to the protection of your sensitive information.
Why cyber security training is important
Education and training are vital to give employees the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to cyber security threats. Businesses should implement interactive, meaningful, and valuable cyber security awareness training as an effort to build their resilience and cyber security culture.
Social engineering tactics, including phishing, pretexting, and tailgating, are a common initial attack vector for malicious actors. In fact, 60% of breaches in Europe involve social engineering attacks, and there’s no sign of this slowing down. With advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital communication methods, cyber criminals are finding new, innovative ways to deceive your human firewall.
Making sure your workforce is equipped with up-to-date, regular training to defend against cyber criminal activity is a vital step in protecting your business. A cyber security training strategy forms the building blocks of a resilient culture throughout your organisation. It informs your workforce on the latest attack trends, how to identify an attack, how to manage an attack, and the key steps with mitigation and reporting.
Key components of effective cyber security training programs
Whilst everyone in your organisation should receive regular cyber security training, it’s important to ensure that this is catered by department and job role. Each member of your business will have varying levels of access to organisational data and technologies; therefore, training needs to be relevant to their specific responsibilities, for example
- Your marketing department might need more training on GDPR and data handling
- Your IT team might need more training on user access controls (UAC) and the principle of the least privilege
- Your office security or receptionists might need more training on physical entry and tailgating
An effective cyber security training program should upskill your employees with the latest guidance on cyber security best practices, data protection, and hacking strategies. Cyber security training should include real-life scenarios of cyber attacks and data breaches and should be regularly delivered to your workforce to continuously address emerging threats.
Building a culture beyond training
Leadership plays a crucial role in empowering employees to prioritise cyber security. Your management teams need to lead by example and show a commitment to cyber security best practices and policies. It’s also vital to regularly communicate the importance of cyber security, follow established protocols themselves, and hold employees accountable for their cyber security responsibilities.
According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach 2024, it takes 277 days for an organisation to identify and contain a security breach. The damage an attacker can cause in this timeframe can be huge, so it’s crucial to encourage your workforce to be open, transparent, and honest with reporting suspected attacks and breaches.
Organisations should implement a zero-blame policy for cyber security errors to prevent individuals from concealing mistakes, which will reduce the risk of more significant damage in the future. Increase awareness and provide clear guidelines and channels for employees to quickly report any cyber security incidents, whether they’re suspected or genuine.
Establish a clear incident response plan that outlines the steps to be taken in case of a security breach and empower employees to take appropriate actions to mitigate an incident. Introduce cyber security policies that address the different areas of data and cyber security, including policies on passwords, data usage, remote working, social engineering or public Wi-Fi.
Challenges and solutions
Despite the growing presence of cyber attacks and data breaches, many organisations fail to put a resilient cyber security training strategy in place. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, only 18% of businesses have provided some form of cyber security awareness training to their employees. Some common challenges include:
- Budget constraints: Allocating resources and budgets for cyber security training programs.
- Lack of engagement: Employees might see cyber security awareness training as tedious and disruptive, leading to disengagement and lack of retention.
- Rapidly evolving threats: Cyber threats are continually changing, requiring training programs to be frequently updated to address new attack trends.
At Citation Cyber, our cyber security awareness training isn’t just another tick-box exercise. Our catalogue of eLearning modules is designed to be engaging, informative, and filled with the latest guidance on keeping your business secure.
Built by our team of cyber security experts, our cyber security awareness training will equip your team with the knowledge and skills to defend against cyber attacks, whilst keeping your business compliant and protected. Not only that, but you’ll receive a full breakdown of your training strategy via simple reporting on our user hub, Atlas, allowing you to manage and allocate relevant training in a secure, central location. Building a resilient cyber security culture involves comprehensive, up-to-date training programmes, real-life scenarios and exercises, and leading from the top-down. By equipping your workforce with the skills to identify and manage threats, your business will enhance overall security and data protection. For more information on Citation Cyber’s training services, speak to a member of our team today.
