4 ways to arm your employees against cyber threats

While businesses are powered by technology – email, texts, video calls, file-sharing, communications platforms, and the telephone – they remain driven by humans. That means human error can be the weakest link in cybersecurity. Last year, data breaches cost businesses across the world an average of $5 million, according to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach report.

Human error can’t entirely be eliminated, but enlisting employees in the fight against cyber threats can make a huge difference.

1. Educate employees about sophisticated new phishing techniques

Phishing emails are no longer as obviously fraudulent as they were in the past: they can mimic your organization’s domain name and email signatures to appear strikingly close to legitimate communications. They can be so personalized and hyper-targeted that even experts can fall for them. Artificial intelligence is behind this uptick in quantity and quality of scams: one study showed that large language models (LLMs) reduce the cost of phishing by 95%. Organizations should educate employees about these trends so that they know how to spot signs of phishing and report suspicious emails.

2. Require frequent password updates

A birthday, a partner’s name, a favorite childhood cartoon with a couple of numbers thrown in. These may seem like elements of an impenetrable password, but when they’re used for multiple work applications and a personal Netflix account, they get less and less secure. One 2023 survey found that more than 90 percent of workers reuse passwords. Requiring password updates multiple times per year can mitigate the potentially dangerous impact of this common tendency.

3. Recommend two-factor authentication

Even the best efforts to encourage unique, frequently updated passwords won’t stop all breaches.

Two-factor authentication serves as a second line of defense. Two-factor authentication sends a code to the user via email, text, or an app, or allows them to use biometric verification like a thumbprint reader. It can be a little tedious, but the benefits are well established: research suggests two-factor authentication can stop 100% of attempts to breach passwords with automated bots, and more than 95% of bulk phishing attacks.

4. Have a plan for when accidents happen

If an employee clicks a bad link or accidentally enters personal information on an untrusted website, they need to know what to do to minimize harm: stop typing, close the browser, and disconnect from the internet. Reset their password and turn on two-factor authentication. And most importantly, report it immediately, since response times determine how catastrophic a data breach ends up being. Employees should know they’ll be supported if they accidentally click a phishing link or have a device stolen so they don’t hesitate to contact IT.

Educating and empowering your employees to identify and stop security breaches can go a long way toward making your communications more secure. Having a secure communications infrastructure is also crucial. Intermedia offers AI-powered cloud communications solutions that help over 145,000 businesses of all sizes work seamlessly across devices and locations, with advanced security features to protect against cyberattacks. They offer their own Email Exchange services and Microsoft 365 plans that integrate Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, and essential Office apps.

Learn more about Intermedia cloud solutions to keep your business safe.