[BreachExchange] Beware: Your Latest Cybersecurity Threat Could Be the One You Just Hired

[Audrey McNeil]

http://chiefexecutive.net/latest-cybersecurity-threat-is-employees/

Business losses due to cybercrime are mounting. In 2016 alone, some 4,149
reported breaches gave hackers and criminals access to more than 4.2
billion records, according to a 2016 report by Risk Based Security. An
independent study by Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that, based on
current trends, the total cost of cybercrime and data breaches will reach
approximately $6 trillion by the year 2021. And the latest Equifax hacking
has pushed that up a notch.

Even these numbers understate the problem; the studies in question look
only at reported data breaches. The vast majority go undetected or
unreported, revealing an important point about cybersecurity for
organizations: The challenges in this area are not just technical ones, but
personnel ones. That’s why today’s environment necessitates that
sustainable cybersecurity programs go well beyond downloading “anti”
software and monitoring networks and systems.

An Example of People Issues in Cybersecurity: Spear Phishing
Many employees are now familiar with the phenomenon. Spear phishing is
specific kind of phishing attack where the phishers pose as trustworthy
individuals. The attackers use email spoofing to mask unfamiliar email
addresses with those of a coworker or manager to get an employee to divulge
important information, make a money transfer, or open an attachment with a
piece of malware.

This type of scam is becoming increasingly prevalent. It is estimated that
over 400 businesses are targeted by business email compromise (BEC) scams
every day, with small- and medium-sized businesses the most targeted.
Estimates from the FBI place the value of money lost to BEC scams over the
past three years at $3 billion, with more than 22,000 businesses falling
victim worldwide.

Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, estimates that a
full 95% of all attacks on enterprise networks are the result of successful
spear-phishing campaigns—that is, somebody in the organization receives an
email and either clicks on a link or opens a file that compromises security.

Spear phishing has important lessons for organizations hoping to stay ahead
of the curve when it comes to the security of their data and their
personnel. Even if an organization performs periodic risk assessments and
creates and documents the most airtight IT policies, all it takes is one
person clicking one rogue attachment to infect an entire network with
ransomware.

Changing How We Prepare: Security Awareness Training
Historically, most businesses have been content with basic technology
defenses: Updating firewalls, using centralized anti-virus and anti-spam
software, regularly patching servers and workstations, and so on.

These make for a solid foundation, but that foundation alone is
insufficient because those measures do not fully account for human error; a
complete security program requires ongoing training and awareness—and
should include a Security Awareness Training Program as a key component.
Such a training program should include three elements:

1. Annual training. It is important to teach your employees about current
security trends and scams. A short course on the spear-phishing scam
discussed here is a great example. You’ll want to emphasize that your team
needs to be aware of these scams and vigilant against them, and to always
confirm that emails with sensitive requests are legitimate before
responding.

Other good areas for ongoing training include creating strong passwords,
how to identify a sketchy website, what to do if you suspect your machine
has been infected, and similar issues.

Your IT team should be able to help you put together the content for these
sessions. If you don’t already have policy documents to codify what you’re
teaching, seize the opportunity.

2. Monthly refreshers. Once-a-year training will not be enough to make
those lessons stick. In addition to annual training, send monthly updates
with one or two helpful tips to review that training and make people aware
of new and upcoming threats. Not only will this reinforce and expand on
your training, it helps keep cybersecurity top-of-mind.

3. Random tests. Given what’s at stake, one cannot simply assume that the
organization is prepared when it comes to cybersecurity. There need to be
objective, testable ways to tell.

Some companies have had great success with phishing simulators, like
KnowBe4, that will send out fake scams and see whether or not your team
falls for them. If they do, they’ll be required to complete a related
training activity.

These “tests” not only reveal your vulnerability, but are a safe way to
really drive home the threat that these scams pose. The results also can
help inform those annual training sessions and monthly refreshers.

Cybersecurity threats are occurring more often, and doing more damage, as
hackers and con artists become more sophisticated in their methods.
Modern-day scams, such as the recent variants of spear phishing, teach us
that security issues are not just technical problems, but problems in the
way organizations prepare their people. A complete cybersecurity governance
program goes well beyond the basics and builds processes and training
modules around both technology updates and timely security issues. If your
company uses an outside IT resource, it would be wise to ask them about
these aspects of cybersecurity, too.
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