People always say that making mistakes is good because it becomes a life lesson that helps us to grow and learn for the next time.
However, when it comes to cyber security, mistakes can be costly and irreversibly damaging to your business.
For any organisation, its biggest asset is its data. Without it, business operations cannot continue as normal. This is why cyber attackers, especially ransomware groups, prey on businesses to steal/take their data hostage.
Cyber attacks are on the rise and more organisations are falling victim to phishing scams. It is vital for businesses to take action now and start educating their workforce on cyber security to minimise the risk.
Data found by IBM suggested that 95% of cyber security breaches are linked to human error. To put this into perspective, only 1 out of 20 businesses does not fall victim to a cyber attack due to human error.
What do we mean by ‘human error’?
When we reference human error in regard to cyber security, we are talking about individuals that cause or allow a security breach to happen as a result of making an unintentional action or failing to take the necessary precautions.
The range of actions involved that can lead to a security breach as a result of human error can be things like:
Downloading malware
Businesses are adopting various cyber security practices such as password-protecting sensitive files and areas of the business.
Although this is a positive change and does add an additional layer of security, it’s not beneficial if you are re-using the same login details for all areas of your business. This actually puts you at a much bigger risk if these details get leaked or breached.
Types of human errors
There are two main human errors: skill-based and decision-based. Both can come down to experience and a lack of knowledge or exposure to cyber security.
Skill-based
Slips and lapses, also known as skill-based errors, occur in a frequent and familiar setting when attention is momentarily diverted that therefore resulting in an unintentional action.
Decision-based
How to prevent human errors
Human errors can easily be fixed if you have the right approach and tools in place. It’s also important to identify potential weaknesses in your IT that can lead to opportunities for security breaches to happen which therefore minimises the risk of human error in the first place.
Change up the routine
The key to reducing human error is to create a security culture, where cyber security is at the heart of everything that you do.
Consider changing up the routine and setting regular reminders to inform employees how to stay cyber secure in the workplace. This can be as simple as changing passwords regularly and limiting their access to data that they don’t need.
Cues
Visual cues are a great way to grab attention and remind employees about the best cyber security practices.
Consider putting posters around the building, and outlining guidelines on how to recognise suspicious emails and potential breaches.
Cyber security training
This may be one of the most effective ways to train your employees on staying cyber secure and minimising human error.
Educational workshops are a great way to provide your business with the security basics to make better decisions in the future. It also provides an opportunity to seek further guidance if needed and address issues early on.
To learn more about ways to keep your business safe from cyber attacks and security breaches, visit our page here.
We also provide an ongoing cyber security training program to your employees that will significantly reduce the risk of security breaches in your organisation.
