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Connect With Your Ottawa IT Service Company at (613) 828-1384
Connect With Your Ottawa IT Service Company at (613) 828-1384
Building a super human firewall—a workforce committed to cybersecurity best practices—is becoming more essential in the increasingly complex digital landscape. This includes spotting and reporting suspicious cyber activities, whether they originate from inside or outside the organization. But how is this achieved? By driving effective education and training.
As we advance into the digital age, ensuring every member of an organization understands cyber risks and their role in mitigating them has become paramount. Today’s landscape of remote work and cloud-based operations has moved us beyond the era of perimeter security.
A higher level of cybersecurity awareness within an organization significantly impedes cyber attackers’ attempts to gain access, especially through simplistic attacks. Adequate training, for instance, empowers employees to recognize phishing emails, avoid clicking on malicious links, and promptly report any suspicious activity to IT and security teams for further investigation.
In our era of increasingly remote work, team members must be well-versed in conventional and real-world cybersecurity threats. This understanding ranges from identifying phishing attacks to acknowledging potential risks, such as leaving important documentation unattended or connecting to unsecured networks while working off-site.
So, what exactly is a superhuman firewall, and how can it shield your business from cyber attacks? Let’s delve deeper.
A super human firewall refers to individuals who adhere to and uphold cybersecurity best practices. These vigilant individuals report any data breaches or suspicious online activities that could circumvent your computer security systems, thus playing a vital role in safeguarding your business and its assets.
Your employees constitute a crucial security layer in defending your operations, data, and overall business success. The recent rise in remote work has underscored the need for effective super human firewalls. According to a report by the National Cyber Security Centre, UK businesses lost £374 million in 2021 due to cyber breaches linked to staff working remotely. Of those surveyed, 82% attributed the breaches to tech issues or behavior related to remote working.
Even as cyber attacks grow more sophisticated, a dearth of education, training, and proper procedures often leads employees to fall prey to basic breach attempts. However, on the flip side, well-trained employees can serve as your organization’s last line of defense should your cybersecurity measures fail to detect a complex attack. In fact, your super human firewall could mean the difference between severe service disruptions and costly fines or identifying and preventing an attack in its infancy.
While phishing ranks high among cybersecurity threats facing enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses, it’s just one of many. Other prominent threats include pretexting, baiting, quid pro quo attacks, and tailgating, not to mention malware and ransomware. Discuss these social engineering attacks and how they typically target their victims.
Phishing involves attackers sending deceptive emails or other communications to trick recipients into divulging sensitive information such as passwords or financial data. Although phishing is a common cyber attack, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to detect. Many attackers now use social media profiling to enhance the credibility of their fraudulent attempts, often impersonating friends or coworkers.
In pretexting, attackers aim to manipulate victims into revealing personal data. To execute this attack, cybercriminals may ask victims for identifying information or pose as managers or HR personnel, scaring them into hasty action. These attacks can sometimes expose digital vulnerabilities within an organization that can be exploited further.
Baiting involves offering an attractive reward or promise to ensnare victims. The initial bait is only the first step in this cyber attack, as it typically allows the attacker to deploy malware and steal the sensitive information they’re after.
Quid pro quo attacks involve tricking individuals into sharing information for a promised service or reward. These attacks involve considerable interaction from the attacker, including negotiation and trading.
Tailgating can occur online and physically, where attackers attempt to follow staff through security doors. This usually involves the attacker posing as a fellow employee or maintenance staff, gaining access when doors are held open for them.
Understanding these threats is the first step to empowering your super human firewall.
Despite the many threats to guard against, a well-trained and informed super human firewall can identify and thwart most of them before significant damage occurs. Here are some strategies to strengthen your super human firewall:
Empower your workforce with the knowledge to scrutinize suspicious activity. This enhanced judgment and your other cybersecurity solutions can significantly bolster your defenses.
A cybersecurity training program equips individuals and teams to spot specific attacks and avoid falling victim to them.
Regular testing reinforces what your employees have learned and prepares them to respond to suspicious activity.
Given the rapidly changing threat landscape, it pays to stay abreast of emerging risks and monitor the types of attacks your organization faces.
With a cyber attack on global businesses occurring every 45 seconds—and the frequency increasing—organizations must make a concerted effort to enhance their cyber security stance. This includes developing a powerful super human firewall and adopting the right cybersecurity solutions. Our cybersecurity experts can help you simultaneously protect your devices, network, and cloud services.
Our services have been designed to easily flex and adapt to your changing needs, providing maximum peace of mind. Our team offers different tiers of managed services to ensure that we have a solution that provides the security your organization needs.
Ultimately, it’s crucial to understand that today’s business landscape’s complexity and data volumes present a significant challenge, particularly now that remote working has become so prevalent. Achieving visibility and clarity is vital to maintaining control of your security.
Strengthening your human firewall is no longer an option—it’s a necessity.
