Sponsored Post Organizations have been warned by infosec experts that they are putting themselves at risk of potentially catastrophic dangers if they fail to address the vulnerabilities that internal employees sometimes encounter when developing an IT security strategy.
While users are the first line of defense in cyber security, they can make mistakes due to complex or time-consuming security protocols. A new report by analyst firm Gartner titled “Predicts 2023: Cybersecurity Industry Focuses on the Human Deal” highlights the scale of risk that staff within organizations can pose. The report predicts that by 2025, lack of talent or human error will be responsible for over half of significant cyber incidents. The research also revealed that 69 percent of surveyed workers admitted to bypassing their own organizations’ cybersecurity guidance in the past year.
In order to equip cyber security professionals with the necessary knowledge and tools to combat internal cyber threats, the SANS Institute is celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October. SANS is a trusted resource for cybersecurity training, certifications, and research.
The initiative focuses on providing a wide range of tools and activities to help security professionals develop effective strategies to mitigate human risk and ensure the safety of their organizations. One of the key resources offered is the SANS Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit, which provides valuable information on reinforcing four essential behaviors:
– Deployment of multi-factor Authentication
– Password Best Practices and Password Managers
– Mobile Device Security
– Recognizing and Reporting Phishing
This toolkit is designed to seamlessly integrate into established workflows and can be used as a supplement to existing training programs or as a companion to ongoing Cybersecurity Awareness Month initiatives.
It includes Fact Sheets that offer bite-sized information to clearly explain the importance of the key topics covered in Cybersecurity Awareness Month. SANS has also developed Internal Communications Templates to streamline the process of broadcasting important cyber security best practice messages to staff. Additionally, SANS-tailored Virtual Meeting Backgrounds serve as constant visual reminders to all staff about the importance of cybersecurity practices.
SANS emphasizes that humans are the largest attack vector for cyber criminals. Therefore, the free Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit has been developed to arm every individual in an organization with the knowledge to defend against these attacks.
For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month, click here.
Sponsored by SANS.