The continuing nature of cyber attacks, especially phishing, requires practical training and experience. Through correct procedures, employees can correctly identify and respond to such attacks. The problem is that traditional cybersecurity awareness training programs do not provide employees with the tools they need to protect themselves or their organization from attacks. Of course, some employees can detect and prevent phishing, but the key is to transform the overall safety culture of the entire organization.
Provide regular practical training.
Traditional cybersecurity awareness programs are mainly theoretical and are conducted irregularly. Sometimes, the company may notify employees of certain types of cyber attacks, attack methods, and countermeasures. Although employees can learn this information in long one-time presentations and questionnaires, they are not necessarily “trained” to react accordingly when a potential attack occurs. This method of cybersecurity awareness training is not optimized for retention. To obtain a more effective phishing training strategy, you have to provide employees with regular hands-on and hands-on training to teach them how to recognize and respond to phishing emails.
Through regular exercises including small pieces of information and phishing simulation exercises, they can more effectively identify phishing attacks. This method can enhance their learning ability and allow them to apply their knowledge when needed.
Integrate training into the workflow
Most training on phishing awareness is separate from the actual threat. As mentioned above, sometimes employees complete one training course per year, regardless of their daily work flow. However, you will be exposed to phishing threats at different times and in different environments. You need to train your employees the same way. This method is crucial when employees check emails, and this is your prime time to provide timely, engaging, and effective phishing training content. With this timely delivery, your employees are more likely to remember and apply what they learned when faced with real phishing threats in the future. By using a phishing simulator, your organization can test employees for specific phishing attacks and then provide detailed instructions to those who have suffered phishing attacks. When employees receive information about phishing techniques they have fallen for, they are more likely to accept training and learn from it.
Provide real-time feedback
Phishing awareness programs based on classroom learning do not provide real-time feedback to employees. When an employee clicks a phishing link one day and receives assigned corrective training weeks or months later, the causality that drives the change in behavior is lost. Give feedback to your employees in real-time. When employees are lured by phishing emails, such programs immediately provide them with additional training. Therefore, they are more likely to learn from their mistakes and make more efforts to avoid future attacks.
Analyze data to drive training
One-size-fits-all phishing awareness training is ineffective for employees who are more likely to fall into phishing scams than others. If your company trains all employees in the same way, you risk alienating employees who are proficient in detecting phishing emails from “continuous clickers”. To help identify employees who need more intensive training, you need accurate data. During a simulated phishing campaign, your organization can collect behavioral analysis on how your employees are responding to various threats. This method provides your organization with information about the consecutive clickers who pose the greatest threat to your organization. And may need more training and monitoring. This data also allows your organization to gain insight into how employees in different roles or stages respond differently to phishing attacks. Based on this information, you can analyze the results of phishing simulations to better improve your risk management and develop specific “processing plans” for different employee groups.
Set a frequency that makes sense
If you cannot control the frequency and interval of training, your organization cannot effectively train your employees or manage your phishing risk. Therefore, incorporate adjustable time intervals and frequencies into your phishing simulation to the unique risk levels of your employees. For employees who often fall into phishing scams, you can schedule more frequent training intervals to give them the number of repetitions needed to drive behavior change. However, for employees who learn quickly from their mistakes, you can reduce the frequency of training. Overtraining fast learners will only annoy them and reduce productivity without added value.
Provide continuous, customizable training
Modern phishing attacks are targeted and use advanced techniques to maximize the likelihood of success. Therefore, all employees need to have basic phishing awareness to prevent these attacks. However, it is not enough to provide employees with minimal capabilities and stop there. Sending the same phishing email repeatedly is boring. Instead, tailor phishing training based on the unique abilities of each employee. When employees master a level, they will raise the target phishing simulation to a new level, introducing them to more detailed techniques and complex excuses. This method helps to increase your organization’s resistance to phishing attacks and arouses interest and participation in phishing awareness programs. Trying to detect increasingly real and sophisticated phishing attacks will create a more dynamic and interesting lineup.