Globally, the number of cyberattacks has increased since the pandemic began. Although technical security measures aid in securing your company, your staff’s actions will determine if it survives.
What is Cybersecurity Culture
Developing a cybersecurity culture is one of the best strategies for a business to lower its cyber risk. This requires instilling in workers the belief that the risk is present and is affected by their everyday behaviour. A company’s cybersecurity culture is crucial because it helps safeguard assets like technology and data. It must be a component of a larger business culture of daily activities that motivate employees to make deliberate choices that comply with security standards.
Cybersecurity awareness is only one aspect of a security culture. The staff must know the security risk and the procedure to reduce that risk. The firm is kept safe by developing and enforcing an operating method of tasks. Most businesses have invested years and numerous resources in acquiring and creating their data asset, so if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, it could negatively influence their financial situation.
Difference Between Cybersecurity Culture and Security Awareness
Security awareness is a lifelong learning process that results in demonstrable organisational advantages from long-lasting behavioural change. The distinction between cybersecurity culture and cybersecurity awareness is that the latter can be considered a subset of the former.
Cognition or employee awareness is one component of the cybersecurity culture. The cybersecurity culture programme encompasses behaviours, attitudes, norms, beliefs, interactions, values, and awareness to take a deeper and more comprehensive look at an employee’s cybersecurity posture.
Strategies to Build a Culture of Cybersecurity
Adapting appropriate cybersecurity practices to daily life presents a problem. Annual PowerPoint slideshows or “cyberwashing” will not produce the desired outcome. Here are some tactics that experts advise using to create a strong cybersecurity culture:
Get your Leadership Team on Board
One of the earliest and most crucial stages in creating a security culture is this. The organisation will need to set aside funds for this endeavour, and top-level management backing can speed its implementation. Management must recognise the value of a cybersecurity culture and how, over time, it can reduce costs and protect reputation.
The initiative’s value will be made clear and inspire participation from other staff members with the support of executive involvement. The organisation as a whole can be encouraged to improve its cybersecurity capabilities by an executive cybersecurity champion.
Foster Accountability
Establish precise security guidelines for all staff members when using company data and IT equipment. Ensure that it is forbidden to utilise any hardware or software the company does not give. Experience has taught us that accountability is the cornerstone of sensible solutions. Therefore, infractions must be handled and penalised regardless of a person’s level or position.
Raise Awareness
The only way to prevent data breaches that undermine organisational trust is to do this. Verify that the precautions are being followed. Employees must know the security guidelines that apply to organisational and customer information. Additionally, it’s critical to spread knowledge in a manner suited to the target audience. For instance, anyone who uses a mobile device should be aware of “shoulder surfing” and always utilise a VPN.
Make Communication Easy
Threats should be dealt with in a coordinated manner through communication. All employees can easily and swiftly report questionable conduct thanks to precise, straightforward methods. Don’t criticise the person involved if the activity turns out to be risk-free. Think about including cybersecurity in the yearly employee review.
Test With Real-World Scenarios
Tests and exercises are the most excellent way to prepare staff members for attacks. Thanks to them, you can observe how well they react in an emergency and what they do to lessen the incident. It is, of course, a lifelong process of learning. The entire organisation gains when every person is taught and informed of the hazards. The integrity of an organisation includes having a robust security culture. As a result, cybersecurity culture needs to be reviewed, improved upon, and modified regularly.
Arm Your Team With The Right Tools
This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s essential to fostering a cybersecurity culture. Help your teams internalise these concepts by providing a tool that helps keep these issues at the forefront. Invigorate Insight’s IT security, and cybersecurity compliance capabilities allow you to detect whether assets meet your organisation’s security standards and other external compliance needs. It flags those assets that require special attention, as well as detects assets running unauthorised software, and checks assets with upcoming warranty expirations.
Security Training Should Not be Feared
One should not be motivated to refrain from clicking on phishing emails out of fear of retaliation. Yet many businesses offer their employees nothing but sticks and no benefits.
We must change the narrative about cybersecurity training and behaviour to make security and security training something people actively want to participate in. It is time to acknowledge that this is an ineffective and culturally toxic dead-end road.
Rewarding excellent security habits, such as reporting phishing attempts, finishing the training on time, or participating in volunteer activities, is one of the most efficient methods.
Reframing security engagement and achievement as something to be celebrated rather than dreaded or shunned is a goal worth pursuing. However, what you can offer as a reward will probably differ depending on your company and circumstances.
Conclusion
Humans are sophisticated creatures who adhere to societal customs and routines. Peer pressure can easily influence a person’s behaviour to fit in. The same holds for internet behaviour. Understanding group norms and behaviours inside an organisation are crucial.
Everyone in the organisation, from top management to entry-level employees, is a part of the organisation’s broader cybersecurity culture. Each employee is in charge of their cybersecurity procedures. Employees should receive the proper equipment and ongoing training to adhere to the organisation’s cybersecurity policy.
