Cybersecurity Awareness and Training in Business Environment

The Threat of Cyberattack for an Organization

Cyber-attackers can access, erase, or extort an entity’s or individual’s sensitive information, making cybersecurity essential. Vital information stored on business servers contains confidential data that may be utilized by a third party to blackmail a company for ransom upon a successful hack (Lallie et al., 2020). Safeguarding an organization and employees requires firms to implement robust cybersecurity measures and utilize the correct equipment. The tools include various risk management approaches, training, and regular system update as technologies continue to evolve and transform (Vartolomei & Avasilcăi, 2020). Managing dangers entails identifying, assessing, and controlling threats against a business entity’s earnings and capital.

A threat management scheme can help organizations incorporate identifying and managing risks to their digital assets. A business’s digital advantages include proprietary pooled data, personally identifiable information (PII) of a customer, and intellectual assets. Every institute anticipates or faces an unplanned risk, harmful impacts that may lead to financial loss (Aldawood & Skinner, 2019b). Risk management enables an entity to prepare for unanticipated hack-attacks by reducing the harms and extra incursions before they happen.

Categories of Cybersecurity Threats

Maintaining new security trends, technologies, and vulnerability intelligence remains a challenging task for most businesses. However, data protection and security of other assets from cyber threats form an essential part of Information Technology security (Booth, 2020). The risks include malware, ransomware, phishing, and social engineering.

Malware refers to a mode of spiteful software that utilizes any program or file to harm an organization’s computer user, including viruses, worms, spyware, and Trojan horses (Aldawood & Skinner, 2019a). Ransomware attacks involve a third-party locking a legitimate user’s computer system files, usually via encryption, demanding remittance to decrypt them. Therefore, IT training must tackle such factors as a way of ensuring the safety of their networks.

Social engineering entails a hack dependent on human activities, which deceives users into breaching security protocols to access crucial data. It occurs in various forms and can be undertaken in places where people frequently interact. Human risk manifests in two primary ways using social engineering in the business environment. First, any dissatisfied employee may use the privilege of access to steal an organization’s confidential information or disrupt the system, which results in losses (Sadeh-Koniecpol et al., 2016).

Second, loyal employees may unintentionally divulge confidential details or provide the third party with the opportunity to enter internal systems. Therefore, organizations must ensure awareness and training program entails measures of tackling the threat.

Characteristics of an Effective Cybersecurity Awareness in Training Program

Awareness training on cybersecurity entails the formal process to educate an organization’s employees on computer security. The programs often aim at transforming behaviors or fortifying proper security operations. According to Aldawood and Skinner (2019b), awareness differs from training in that the purpose of the former focuses on security. The realization initiative generally targets enabling individuals to acknowledge information technology security and act accordingly (Sadeh-Koniecpol et al., 2017). Thus, awareness hinges on the concentration of the broader audience with enticing packaging methodologies.

The skills gained during training enable employees to have an insight on security basics and literacy medium. However, the program may not necessarily result in a formal certificate from a college. Nonetheless, a learning course may have similar material as those in higher learning institutions (Vartolomei & Avasilcăi, 2020).

Business firms should train system administrators on IT Security courses, which address the organization control approaches. The session should include the implementation of operational benchmarks and technical directions (Booth, 2020). Management jurisdiction comprises policies, IT security initiatives, risk management, and life safety. Therefore, functional controls should include users and individual issues, contingency planning, handling incidences, and computer support actions.

Regular tutoring remains essential in businesses with higher turnover rates and heavily dependent on temporary, contract, and contingent workers. Effective cybersecurity training programs must include an evaluation of need. An assessment of need helps determine a businesses’ awareness and trai