The research by Fortinet reveals that more than 90% of the cybersecurity experts agree that the surging frequency of cyberattacks can be reduced if organizations focus on increasing their employees’ cybersecurity awareness.
The report emphasizes the critical role of employees in serving as an organization's first line of defense in defending their firm from cybercrime as it becomes more common for businesses to confront cyber threat incidents.
Lack of Cybersecurity Awareness Among Employees
The report further revealed that among all the organizations surveyed, 81% of them confirmed to have experienced at least one cyber incident, be it malware, phishing or password breach over the course of last year. Most of the attacks were primarily targeted at organization’s employees, who apparently has access to the firm’s systems. This emphasizes how a company's employees could either be its weakest link or one of its strongest defenses.
Nearly 85% of the organization leaders claims that their organization has adequate security awareness and training program provided to its employees. However, 50% believed that their employees, regardless of the training programs still lack a proper cybersecurity knowledge.
This variation shows that the existing training programs may not be as successful as they could be, leading to inconsistent use of appropriate cyber hygiene measures by staff, or that instruction may not be effectively reinforced.
Board of Directors Prioritizing Cybersecurity
Given the fact that many of these cyber-attacks are targeted to users, it is likely that boards already recognize—or will do so soon—that employee cybersecurity awareness is an essential component of the "defense equation". 93% of businesses said their board of directors often questions them about their cyber security and strategy.
John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet says, “Our 2023 Security Awareness and Training Global Research Brief underscores the crucial role employees play in preventing cyberattacks. It also highlights the critical need for organizations to prioritize security awareness and training services to ensure employees serve as the first line of defense.”
One of the best solutions to avoid cybersecurity incidents an organization can adopt is by conducting better training program, setting the groundwork for a culture of cybersecurity that is ready and strong. This way, employees would attain a better cyber-risk awareness and further encourage them to defend their organization whenever the situation calls.
Organizations are aware that they require sophisticated cybersecurity solutions and that technological certifications help their IT employees' cybersecurity skills. Employee awareness may not have gotten the full attention it deserves up to this point, but it may become crucial in the years to come in the fight against cybercrime.