• Mon. Dec 9th, 2024

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

5 Things You Should Teach Your Employees about Cybersecurity

ByDave Stopher

May 21, 2020

You could have all the best security measures in place to protect your networks from risks, but have you thought about the role each one of your employees plays in it?

Your staff members access the data every single day, and they might not understand even the basic practices of cybersecurity. That’s why it is imperative that you compile a list of policies that outline data security and educate your employees. Only then can your cybersecurity measures be effective.

Although your business may need the help of companies like Zivver and others to maintain the highest level of security, your employees need to be educated about these five subjects mentioned below.

Phishing and Scams through Email

One of the easiest techniques that hackers use to deliver malware to any computer is through email. Unless you get your employees secure email, criminals might send them links and attachments that are infected. These hackers can access all the data on the computer where the link was opened, and it can even get into your network.

These emails used to be very poorly constructed in the past with plenty of spelling mistakes, but they have gotten much better nowadays. They might even use logos of big companies, making it much more challenging to figure out if they are real or not without a secure email.

Best Password Practices

Many people don’t pay much attention to their passwords. They might use the same passcodes for their social media profiles, online banking, and everything else. Usually, these codes are not difficult to guess because it is something personal.

If your employees use easy passwords, then nothing can hold back a hacker from accessing all the files on the company servers. That’s why you should tell your employees to use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. They should also make it at least 7 characters, but the longer it is the better. Depending on what you are using, you could also inform them about a few tricks that apply to your system.

Importance of Backups

For an efficient security system, you need to encourage your employees to back up all their files at the end of every working day. You need to make sure that your employees understand why having backups is imperative. They should know that these backups are the only ways to recover lost or stolen files in case something happens.

While it is useful to have backups on-site in servers in a secure area of your office, you should consider having an off-site backup as well. There are many companies that can do the job, but you should look into commercial cloud service providers. They are the most efficient and straightforward.

Handling Sensitive Data

Many of your staff members might be a little careless sometimes when it comes to handling sensitive information, whether it’s the company’s or a customer’s.

Many of your employees might handle various data every day, such as emails, banking information, credit card details, or addresses. This data can be very dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands, and you might face a lawsuit. That is why you should hand out a set of guidelines and make sure all of your employees follow it properly.

What They Should Do After Clicking or Downloading Malware

If your employees don’t have a secure email then they might click on a malicious link, or download something from an unsecure website. They might keep it a secret because they may not want to get into trouble. That is why you need to encourage them to alert someone immediately.

You should educate them on the importance, and make sure they memorise the set of protocols that lay out what they need to do in case there is a risk.