Are my colleagues engaged and aware of cyber security?
Geplaatst op: 29 January 2024
Joint engagement and training efforts are the first line of defense against cyber threats for organizations. Educating employees on the latest threats and best practices can reduce the risk of cyber attacks while minimizing potential incidents.
An effective cyber security strategy places people at the center, with security measures developed collaboratively to meet the practical needs of the organization. Fostering a positive cyber security culture, where employees are active participants and hub input is valued, ensures the prevention and detection of security incidents.
By providing staff with the necessary skills and knowledge through awareness programs, engagement and training, an organization demonstrates commitment to the well-being of its employees and emphasizes their value to the organization. This not only protects the company, but also strengthens employee loyalty and increases the overall value of the organization.
Why are engagement and training crucial in cyber security?
Engagement:
Engagement in cyber security includes creating awareness among employees and users about their role in cyber security, the associated risks and threats, and the steps they can take to protect both themselves and the organization. Fostering a cyber security culture encourages employees to be more observant and cautious when handling sensitive data and using technology.
Training:
Cyber security training is essential to equip employees with the knowledge and skills needed to recognise, prevent and respond to cyber threats. It helps employees understand best practices for securing their devices, passwords and online activities, as well as how to respond to incidents such as data breaches or cyber attacks.
The benefits of engagement and training in cyber security are manifold
- Improves awareness of cyber security: Regular training increases employees’ awareness of cyber security risks and threats, enabling them to prevent or report suspicious activity. This results in alert employees and thus better security.
- Less risk of cyber Attacks: Engaged and trained employees reduce the likelihood of cyber attacks through faster recognition and reporting of security incidents. Implementation of best practices, such as strong passwords and two-factor authentication, helps reduce the risk of successful attacks.
- Improved incident response: Well-trained employees respond more effectively to cyber security incidents, reducing impact and shortening recovery time. Working together to prevent recurrence improves overall response and recovery from incidents.
- Early detection of security incidents: Employees who feel safe to report problems can detect incidents early, minimizing the impact and preventing escalation.
- Improved organizational effectiveness: A safe environment encourages openness, which leads to better decision-making and innovation, thus improving the overall effectiveness and competitiveness of the organization.
- Increased trust and loyalty: An environment where employees feel valued results in increased trust and loyalty. This contributes to job satisfaction, higher productivity and less employee turnover.
In short, creating a secure and open work environment, where employees can report incidents and come up with new ideas, promotes early detection of security incidents, improved organizational effectiveness and increased trust and loyalty to the organization. This helps achieve the goals of engagement and training in cyber security.
Strategies for engagement and training in cyber security can increase success of initiatives
Here are some key strategies:
- Alignment with different learning styles: Offer training and engagement activities that fit various learning styles. Use various methods such as hands-on activities, visual aids and interactive discussions to meet the needs of all employees.
- Encourage interactivity: Make training sessions interactive to encourage participation and engagement. Use group activities, scenario-based exercises and quizzes to make the learning experience engaging and participatory.
- Promote continuous learning: Given the constant evolution of cyber threats, it is essential to provide continuous learning opportunities. Make sure employees stay informed of the latest threats and best practices such as AI.
- Use of realistic scenarios: Make training more relevant by using real-life scenarios. This helps employees understand how cyber attacks can affect their work and the organization, increasing their motivation to take cyber security seriously.
- Encourage accountability: Hold employees accountable by setting clear expectations and evaluating their progress regularly. Assess the effectiveness of training and engagement initiatives and provide constructive feedback to employees.
- Role of executives in cyber security: To promote a strong cyber security culture within an organization, it is vital to emphasize the role of senior leaders. These leaders serve as role models through their behavior. When senior leaders prioritize compliance with security policies and processes without exceptions for themselves, it is made clear that cyber security is a top priority. As role models for the organization, they help establish a culture of responsibility and commitment to cyber security.
- Taking sufficient time for the visible effects of awareness campaigns: Give awareness campaigns time to have impact. Analyze not only immediate results, but also appreciate the long-term effects.
Standing strong together
Organizations can effectively address cyber threats by engaging and training employees. Raising awareness about recent threats and best practices reduces the risk of cyber attacks and minimizes damage. A positive cyber security culture, combined with training, leads to improved awareness, reduced risk, improved response and early detection. Strategies include diverse learning methods, interactivity and continuous education. Leaders play a crucial role as role models. It is important to allow sufficient time for visible effects of awareness campaigns and align messages with staff and organization. A safe working environment contributes to the success of engagement and training in cyber security.
the OpenSight 10 new year’s cyber security resolutions
During the OpenSight 10 new year’s cyber security resolutions, we will publish a blog each week about each of the ten resolutions as listed below:
- The company’s digital assets.
- Are my colleagues engaged and aware of cyber security?
- Are our company assets under control?
- Architecture focused on security and the business.
- How to keep vulnerability management in order?
- Who’s that? And what is he doing here?
- How do we protect digital assets?
- Is this normal behavior and does it happen more often?
- Preparation is key!
- Is there a weak link in my supply chain?
With these 10 new year’s resolutions, we at OpenSight hope to give you some insight regarding the ten steps you could take to decrease the chance and impact of an incident.
Want to know more?
Be sure to keep an eye on our blogs where, following these Cyber Security resolutions for 2024, we will cover all 10 topics in detail. Follow us on LinkedIn to be the first to know about all our updates!
developments concerning NIS2
Geplaatst op: 29 January 2024
The NIS2 Directive is a European Union initiative that aims to improve cybersecurity and the resilience of essential services in EU member states. This directive is an extension of the earlier NIS directive and covers more sectors, sets stricter security standards and introduces incident reporting requirements. No surprise, then, that it has become a major topic in many a board meeting.
Most important developments:
- Comprehensive sectoral coverage:
The NIS2 directive will apply to industries and organizations vital to society such as healthcare, transportation, energy providers, government services, food, water management companies and digital providers. - Obligations and supervision:
Within the NIS2 Directive, entities are required to conduct a risk assessment and, based on that assessment, take appropriate measures to protect their services and information. Incidents that (may) significantly disrupt services must be reported to the supervisor within 24 hours. The NIS2 Directive also provides for monitoring of compliance with its obligations by an independent regulator. - Transition to national legislation:
The EU has adopted the NIS2 directive and it is now being translated into Dutch law, with details being worked out about which organizations are covered and what the exact obligations will be.
Information sessions and preparation
OpenSight organizes several information sessions that take a deeper look at how the legislation fits together and how it corresponds to other frameworks such as BIO, ISO27001, NEN7510 and NIST. The obligations of the NIS2 directive are largely aligned with existing information security frameworks, which provides an interesting point of reference. OpenSight will begin hosting this session in the first quarter of the new year. Want to receive an invitation when the date of this session is known?
Click here to submit your interest!
From our experience in implementing frameworks, it is good to begin preparations in a timely manner. It takes an average organization about 12 months to implement a new framework to the point where it works well and is part of its daily operations.
NIS2 obligations
The NIS2 Directive imposes several obligations on entities to strengthen cyber security and resilience of essential services in EU member states. A core obligation is the duty of care, which requires entities to conduct their own risk assessment and, based on that assessment, take appropriate measures to safeguard their services as much as possible and protect the information used.
It further introduces a reporting duty for incidents. Entities must report incidents that (may) significantly disrupt the provision of the essential service to the supervisor within 24 hours. Cyber incidents must also be reported to the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), which can then provide help and assistance. The factors that make an incident reportable include, for example, the number of people affected by the disruption, the duration of a disruption and the potential financial losses.
Finally, the NIS2 Directive requires oversight of covered organizations. An independent supervisor will be appointed to monitor compliance with the directive’s obligations, such as the duty of care and notification. The exact details of oversight, including which regulator will be responsible for the government sector, are still being determined, with the intention of using existing accountability structures and seeking to harmonize them.
NIS2 brochure
Detailed information about NIS2 can be found in our NIS2 brochure. It can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.