A positive and thriving email security reporting culture is a small yet vital component of an organisation’s cybersecurity (check out our article on the cyber security best practices for businesses). As the first line of defence against cyberattacks, employees need to know what to do should they encounter anomalies via email, hence the need to engage and inform employees through a positive training program. This approach turns them into a key part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem. The main focus areas to build this reporting culture include communication, realism, reporting, reward, and acknowledgement.
1. Communication
Let employees know about and fully understand the importance of email security and their role in maintaining it to protect the company from malicious actors. With email being the main way of delivering phishing attacks, employees must be vigilant regarding what kind of messages they receive on their work email. By knowing when something feels ‘off’ and reporting suspicious emails, they can help create a strong defence against most cyberattacks today. Thus, ensure everyone in the workforce understands this, regularly remind employees about the best practices, and be open to answering their concerns or questions.
2. Realism
It is not enough to teach employees what to do when faced with a sceptical email; it is also essential to conduct simulation programs using active phishing scenarios to put their learning to the test. This is an effective way of encouraging employees to report such emails as simulating a real phishing attack reinforces the steps they should take, and those who make a mistake can learn from the experience without harming the company. This also ensures they learn the most current attack attempts as hackers continue to innovate and improve their techniques in response to the latest security protocols. In short, leveraging real threat scenarios helps organisations stay better protected against cyberattacks.
3. Reporting
It is crucial to simplify the reporting process so that employees are not inconvenienced when they try to raise attention to suspicious activity. Provide employees with a straightforward means of forwarding suspicious emails to the IT department or cybersecurity team and ensure no repercussions for doing so. One way of doing this is embedding a report button directly into your organisation’s existing email client that routes flagged emails straight to the team in charge in just a click. While there are many other reporting methods to choose from, they are often inefficient and less effective.
4. Reward
Incentivising employees to maintain email security is a great way to encourage and keep them actively looking out for potential threats. Small rewards like gift cards, bonuses, and the occasional public recognition go a long way in encouraging the workforce to not simply ignore any suspicious activity they encounter.
5. Acknowledgement
In conjunction with rewarding, celebrating the effectiveness of your email security program is an excellent way of showing appreciation to employees, as they are the main driving force of its success. This approach also recognises the effort they put in daily and that they are appreciated since their help makes a difference. Many ways exist to express the company’s acknowledgement of its contributions, from holding celebratory events to giving out awards for those who made the most impact.
Conclusion
Building an effective email security reporting culture does not and should not be a difficult endeavour. With the help of the tips above, business leaders can encourage their staff to take a proactive stance on reporting suspicious email activity and reinforce their cybersecurity posture against costly cyberattacks.
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