How secure is your Human Firewall? You may have heard of the term the ‘Human Firewall’, it’s a bit of a buzzword at the moment, but what does it mean?
Hackers are getting more sophisticated and are deliberately targeting the weakest link in your security, your team. Those human gatekeepers of an organisation’s safety. Your human firewall…
Your organisation’s safety
Most businesses are aware of the importance of cyber security technology – but a lot of hackers exploit human nature to circumvent the technological security arms race.
A recent IBM report concluded that 95% of cyber security breaches were due to human error. Of these, half were due to an individual having inside access.
Where are the weaknesses in your human firewall?
We’ve all heard the saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the same can be said about the human element in a business firewall. It will be as weak as your least-trained, or least-aware staff member. Bear in mind approximately 30% of breaches come from within, if individual computers can be targeted, this can be the easiest way to wreak havoc.
Thames Valley Police say that the 5th largest cyber risk is simply due to not having a ‘leaving user policy’. This should be setup properly and implemented by your internal (or external) IT team.
So whilst your tech firewalls are doing their bit, make sure ‘too good to be true’ emails or attachments aren’t opened. An attachment showing the bosses salaries for example, as you never know what’s inside them, or what you may end up downloading or spreading through your network unwittingly,
Cyber security training your human firewall
Training your staff is a vital precaution that should be considered a must-have. By making it part of onboarding new starters. As part of the induction process it will be easier to maintain and become a normal process. Regular cyber security awareness training sessions can then support staff knowledge and understanding and strengthen your human firewall.
What should be included in the cyber security training?
As well as common sense, training should be delivered based on your business type. Equally, what the staff do and what they are exposed to. There will be no ‘catch-all’ – but we can certainly advise on common risks and things to look out for.
Doing a skills gap analysis and tailoring training to individual needs whilst covering universal topics will provide a good model that can be adapted as required, setting you up for a stronger human firewall against attacks.
Cyber security consultancy
Award-winning claireLOGIC can help. As well as understanding the root and branch technology that should be considered. We get the human factors too. We support our clients with cyber security training and data protection training. This is critical training which will give your team the understanding needed to help keep themselves safe. Equally it helps your customer to feel safe and secure.
