How to Reduce Cyber Risk with the Right Security Policies 

HR and security teams have a lot more crossover than many of us think about. One of those areas is cybersecurity. Are your cybersecurity policies and training working as intended?  

Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues to gain momentum in both the government and private industries. But cybersecurity awareness is more than just a trendy reminder that pops up on our calendars every so often. It should be well embedded into your organization’s culture. 

With the average cost of a data breach in the United States topping an estimated $9.44 million, there’s no time like the present to take the necessary steps to protect your data and your people from cybercriminals.  

If that number seems shocking, you aren’t alone in thinking so. But with cybercriminals stepping up their game over the last couple of years, how can employers and HR leaders help ensure that everything is being done within their organization to keep data safe?  

Make cybersecurity a Day 1 priority for new hires 

Onboarding is one of the best times to engage employees with digital security best practices. It’s also the most crucial.  

Onboarding, especially in today’s mostly digital world, involves a lot of transferring and sharing of sensitive data. New employees are also attractive targets for cybercriminals looking to phish their way in to your organization.  

Some of the top ways new employees accidentally leave the door open for risk include forgetting to change their temporary passwords and clicking on phishing links in emails spoofing a company executive.  

Best practices to reduce risk at onboarding:  

• Establish clear security policies  

• Follow the principle of “least privilege” 

• Make security training a regular practice 

• Use secure password distribution 

Run regular trainings and testing 

Your new hires aren’t the only vulnerable employees in your organization. This risk applies to everyone—yes, even you.  

Cybercriminals use a variety of methods to attempt to gain access to an organization’s data. As security measures become more sophisticated, so do bad actors’ strategies. Among the most common, though, are phishing, malware, ransomware, and insider threats.  

Running regular trainings drives ongoing awareness and educates employees about how to recognize risk and stay aware.  

Best practices to reduce cyber risk year-round 

• Keep employees informed of the latest in cyber security threats 

• Run regular anti-phishing campaigns to put trainings into action 

• Review access permissions regularly 

• Ensure that personal devices that access company data, such as phones, are included in your security policies and plans 

Highlight the benefits of being cybersecurity-savvy 

Being security aware at work goes well beyond just protecting the company’s assets. It’s also one of the top ways employees can keep their own data and personal information safe as well. One of the top ways employees’ personal data is at risk? Ransomware. 

Ransomware attacks are on the risk and the average cost paid to hackers is roughly $1,000,000, up from $800,000 in 2020. Although these cybersecurity trends are alarming, the good news is that it’s never too late to start protecting your organization’s data. 

Best practices to reduce the risk of a cyber attack 

• Know what data your organization has, where it is stored, and who has access to it  

• Validate data that is needed and required to complete your business objectives—get rid of everything else (securely) 

• Regularly scan and fix vulnerabilities within your systems and applications 

• Train and enable your workforce on how to spot and report suspected threats within your applications and systems

• Validate third-party vendors’ security programs and how they are storing, accessing, and transmitting your data

• Invest in your information security by hiring an in-house team or outsourced team to protect data

Data security is a top priority at Businessolver. See how we’re helping organizations like you keep their information safe and secure