What is Security Awareness Training and why is it Important?

To establish robust cybersecurity and a secure work environment, it is imperative to train users and employees in security awareness. As cyberattacks, phishing attempts, and data theft have become common in the digital landscape, comprehensive protection against these threats is critical.

Cyber awareness training plays a crucial role in mitigating human error in cybersecurity. With more than half of all IT security incidents linked to users, teaching end users the basics can go a long way to preventing data breaches. (https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/) 

In 2024 alone, cybercrime was projected to cost an estimated $9.25 trillion, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 5–15% (https://cybersecurityventures.com/cybercrime-to-cost-the-world-9-trillion-annually-in-2024/). However, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of IT threats and potential breaches by educating employees and users about cybersecurity. Training employees to identify malicious activity will help mitigate the risk of successful attacks.

Even if most small and medium-sized organizations are not mandated by regulations to provide this training, there are numerous benefits. These benefits include reducing human error, lowering the risk of attacks, and stopping cybercriminals from gaining access to company and organizational assets.

Why is Security Awareness Training Important?

Cybercrime is growing, with criminals using sophisticated tools (https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203) to execute phishing campaigns, deploy spyware, and deceive users and employees to infiltrate organizational networks, misappropriate confidential information, and embezzle financial resources.

Unfortunately, human error remains the leading cause of cyberattacks. IBM reports that over 95% of investigated cybersecurity incidents cite human error as a contributing factor (https://www.ibm.com/reports/cost-of-a-data-breach).

Common human errors include:

• Employees using easily guessed or identical passwords across workstations and online services.
• Users giving sensitive information to individuals falsely claiming affiliation with the organization.
• Employees clicking on infected URLs and email attachments.
  
  

In 2023, the popular email marketing service Mailchimp fell victim (https://tech.co/news/mailchimp-breach-phishing-trust)  to three successful IT-breaches, caused by social engineering attacks focused on Mailchimp employees and contractors. In one of the attacks, at least one employee was tricked into exposing credentials - giving cyber criminals access to 133 user accounts - and damaging the brand. 

Security awareness training creates a common understanding of cybersecurity best practices within organizations. By providing employees with adequate tools and knowledge, you create a well-informed and vigilant first line of defense. This involves integrating security awareness into daily work routines, fostering a culture of responsible behavior, minimizing human error, and safeguarding valuable assets and information.

"Training employees is fundamental to building a security-conscious workforce, fostering responsible behavior, and reducing human error."

Through education, users gain awareness of phishing attacks malware installation attempts (https://nimblrsecurity.com/blog/what-is-malware), and other digital threats. Equipped with the appropriate tools, users can identify these threats. This leads to prompt reporting and removal of malicious content, thereby protecting organizational assets, data, and financial resources.

When a cybersecurity awareness program is successful, companies can see an 80% decrease in clicks of malicious links across their organizations (https://nimblrsecurity.com/solution). Employees with proper training are better able to identify suspicious activities and report questionable content.

Benefits of Security Awareness Training

Implementing a robust employee security training program yields numerous benefits. Some are easy to quantify, while others contribute to the organization's overall cybersecurity posture.

• Fostering a Culture of Good Behavior: Regular training creates a culture of security consciousness, encouraging employees to proactively contribute to raising awareness levels. As a result: after just a few months, harmful clicks are reduced by up to 80% (https://nimblrsecurity.com/solution) .
  
  
• Enhancing Employee Vigilance: Trained employees are more alert to suspicious activity and are more likely to detect and report, safeguarding organizational assets, data, and financial resources. As a result, clicks on malicious links
  
  
• Ensuring Regulatory Compliance: New legislation and directives (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cybersecurity-policies) mandate that organizations across all sectors elevate their IT-security standards.
  
  
• Achieving Measurable Outcomes: Organizations often see a reduction in clicks of malicious links by up to 80% within months of implementing security awareness training.
  
  
• Mitigating Human Error: Employee security training minimizes human error and empowers employees to protect their organization's assets, data, and financial resources.

Security Awareness vs. Security Training

While the terms may appear synonymous, security awareness and security training are different, while both contribute to organizational security and overall cybersecurity. 

What Is Security Awareness?

Security awareness focuses on cultivating a security-conscious mindset among employees. It involves an pedagogical approach that encourages responsible behavior and minimizes human error within the organization.

Examples of Security Awareness:

• Recognizing phishing scams, malware attacks, and other malicious cyber threats.
• Promoting regular password changes.
• Refraining from clicking suspicious links, even those seemingly originating from within the organization.

Security awareness promotes vigilance in the daily work environment.

What Is Security Training?

Security training teaches users advanced skills and competence in specific cybersecurity domains. It provides users with the tools and knowledge to address threats and incidents effectively.

Examples of Security Training:

• Implementing two-factor authentication.
• Establishing policies for internal communications and information sharing.
• Conducting practical exercises on reporting suspicious content and responding to simulated IT attacks.
• Participating in workshops on handling and protecting sensitive data in accordance with regulations like GDPR.

Security awareness and security training are two key components of a comprehensive security strategy. An effective approach combines awareness-raising measures with in-depth training to cultivate a robust and resilient IT environment that minimizes human error.

Conclusion: 

Training employees is fundamental to building a security-conscious workforce, fostering responsible behavior, and reducing human error. Employees are alert to common threats like phishing and malware, and follow best practices such as strong passwords and cautious link handling.

Human error remains a significant factor in cyberattacks, often inadvertently enabling breaches. Security training provides employees with the advanced skills and knowledge necessary to address threats and incidents effectively, using tools like two-factor authentication, secure communication protocols, and practicing incident response.

Both awareness and training are crucial. Awareness creates an alert mindset, while training provides the skills to act upon that vigilance, establishing a robust defense against evolving cyber threats and safeguarding organizational assets, data, and financial resources.