SL;DR: To protect your business from cyber threats, it’s important to understand your employees’ strengths and weaknesses in cybersecurity. Common traits include skeptics who ignore risks, procrastinators who delay security tasks, the naive who unknowingly take risks, and well-intentioned employees who still face threats. Regular cybersecurity training tailored to these traits can strengthen your team and reduce risk. For guidance, visit www.cyologylabs.com or download the Fraudster App for tips and training.
To succeed in today’s modern competitive business landscape, you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your employees. It will equip you to identify areas where employees may need further training, including cybersecurity awareness. Let’s categorize the most common four employee cyberthreat traits so that you can identify individuals who require additional attention.
Certain employee traits can show a lack of knowledge or awareness. For example, individuals who regularly click on phishing emails or fall victim to social engineering attacks are likely unaware of the dangers of these threats. Similarly, employees who do not adhere to cybersecurity best practices, such as using strong passwords, may also show a lack of awareness or motivation.
If you notice these behaviours in your employees, you must empower them with the latest cybersecurity training and best practices. By doing so, you can help protect your business against the dangers of cyberattacks.
Employee traits to watch out for
Although there are many ways to classify employee traits, we believe the four listed below cover the most common character traits.
The skeptic: Skeptical individuals believe a cyberattack will never happen to them. They don’t understand the significance of regularly changing their passwords or using two-factor authentication. This callous behaviour is what cybercriminals exploit to attack the organization. They have a high success rate when businesses and employees don’t take safety precautions.
The procrastinator: Cybersecurity procrastinators know they are critical to preventing hackers from infiltrating systems. Those with the procrastinator cybersecurity trait also have a love-hate relationship with the dozens of red bubbles on their apps and software. They know the situation could quickly spiral out of control if left unchecked, but they will prioritize other tasks and wait until “the next day” to take care of the issue.
The naive: Although naivete is not synonymous with foolishness, those who are inexperienced in cybersecurity might trust too easily. Do you know people who leave their computers unlocked when they go out for lunch? Or the remote worker who uses the free Wi-Fi at coffee shops? Some individuals even write their passwords on post-it notes; we’ve all been guilty of doing this at some point. While it may seem to this type of employee that good people surround them, the threat might be sitting right next to them.
The employee with good intentions: If cybersecurity best practices were an exam, this type of employee would get an A+. They are cautious of emails with links or attachments, use complex passwords to deter hackers and are up to date on the latest threats. However, even employees’ best intentions are a target or a cybercriminal and not know it.
Conclusion
Any business needs to understand its employees. After all, they are the lifeblood of any company. Good employees help drive a business, whereas careless employees can drag it down. It’s important to remember that each employee is an individual with unique skills, traits and motivations. It’s up to you to ensure that your employees receive regular security awareness training to help them learn and practice good cyber hygiene.
If you are an employer and need to know where to go next, contact us at www.cyologylabs.com for a free consultation.
If you haven’t already, you can download our mobile app, FRAUDSTER, for a free consultation available on Apple and Android. You can learn more at www.FraudsterApp.com If you’ve already downloaded the FraudsterApp, click the training icon on the home screen to learn to protect yourself.
