How to Train Remote Employees On Cyber Security
Cybersecurity is now a top priority for most organizations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have been forced to change their cybersecurity strategies because more employees working from home for the foreseeable future. Working from home has allowed hackers to take advantage of remote workers who are using home internet, which lacks strong security backups in comparison to those in the office. Here are some tips you can use to level up your cybersecurity while employees continue to work remotely.
Make cybersecurity training and awareness a top priority
Investing in cybersecurity includes investing in your people because if they don’t know the standard safety measures, your organization will always be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Cybersecurity should be a day-one priority for every new employee that joins the organization. And the training should not stop there, as there is new information to learn each day that your employees must be aware of. One of the best way to create awareness for your remote work employees, is to update them on cybersecurity news and the amount and frequency of cyber attacks.
Best password practices training
Train your remote workers on the best password security practices to further build a strong security strategy for the organization. Although it can be challenging to know every single password, you may have to take extra steps to follow up on every employee’s password strength. A strong password should haveat least twelve characters and have multiple characters with a mixture of symbols and numerals. Regularly inform your employees not to share their passwords even with their trusted acquaintances.
Social media, email, and browsing security training
As your employees work remotely, they will have more time to spend online than in a physical office. Their online habits can potentially leave the organization in greater danger of attacks that can lead a company to lose its crucial data or become more susceptible to attackers' duress.
It’s important to outline policies and guidelines on using social media, emails, and the internet while using the organization’s devices. Let the employees also know the type of links they can click on and those they shouldn’t, such as email and messages from suspicious or unidentified organizations.
How to identify and report cyber threats
The future of remote work is bright and it means more employees will be working away from the protection that the IT team provides in the office which has led to a greater number of security issues. Let your employees know how to recognize any social engineering and phishing attacks, password hacks, or any other security bullying. These threats are more prevalent as employees are working at home because employers are not in direct control of the activities they engage in online.
This can be achieved when you offer clear instructions on top of policy guidelines. Your remote workers should be able to identify spam content, legit antivirus warnings, or any unclear errors from their devices. Reporting these threats should be done immediately and to the right personnel.
Cybersecurity should be an ongoing process
The training should not stop at the induction level because malicious threats will continue to happen every day. Your employees should be up to date on the emerging issues of cyber security, new threats, and new ways to safeguard their information and the organization’s data. As more people are embracing remote work, it is essential to continue training the workforce on the best security practices at home.
The best way to achieve this is to update and repeat training on cybersecurity often, for example, by conducting weekly training on various cybersecurity topics. Continuous training will giveyour employees a superior advantage over malicious online threats.
Training your employees to stay safe online as they work at home could be the difference between your organization’s data safety and continuous cyberbullying. Remote work will likely not be ending soon as more organizations are allowing their employees to work at home. This means more infrastructure and stinger measures have to be in place to protect the company’s most important information from the hands of unauthorized users.
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