There are several false beliefs regarding cybersecurity in the IT solution provider (TSP) sector. While there are a dozen of these, risk stands out from the others. Many customers that work with a TSP think they are totally safe and no longer at risk due to the changing threat landscape. Although MSPs with RMM software and TSPs provide further defense against these risks, they still leave organizations vulnerable to the biggest threat to their information security—their own people and here is what employee cybersecurity training comes.
According to a recent study, human error accounts for 85% of cyberattacks. Knowing that people are to blame for this critical weakness, it is the duty of TSPs to inform and equip their staff and clients to be ready for, recognize, and thwart cyberattacks.
Creating a comprehensive cybersecurity awareness program
Establishing cybersecurity training for your clients’ staff members will help them better understand their roles, learn how to preserve sensitive data, and spot signals of harmful attacks. This will help you protect your clients.
You will probably oversee offering cybersecurity instruction, training, and advice on necessary policies as a TSP. Any comprehensive course on cybersecurity awareness should cover the following topics:
- Social engineering and fraud
- Access, connection, and passwords
- Object safety
- Physical protection
Do you have the tools and the expertise necessary to carry out this training for your clients? If not, no worries—we’ve got you. Let’s examine these crucial components of a thorough cybersecurity education in more detail.
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Phishing and social engineering
A hostile attack on a user or administrator via social engineering involves convincing them to reveal information to a bad actor. Phishing is a popular social engineering technique where attackers try to get sensitive data, such as passwords and credit card numbers, by seeming to be a reliable source.
Common phishing attacks frequently call for the victim to perform steps that make them and their information susceptible, such as clicking a link, opening an attachment, sending sensitive information, wire transfer, or other acts.
Threat actors’ tactics are becoming increasingly difficult to identify as they develop new techniques and schemes, especially when they appear to be coming from a reputable source like your CEO or a fellow employee. However, these deceptive attacks frequently exhibit a few warning indications, such as:
Content mistakes
Red flags include misspellings, errors, and URLs that contain arbitrary digits and letters.
Feeling of necessity
The email may be a phishing attack if it contains an unusually urgent request for money or sensitive information.
Also Read: What is RMM? | Remote Monitoring & Management Definition
Error-filled emails
When an email is sent from a suspicious-looking email address, it is easy to identify phishing. Before doing anything, you must make sure the email address is correct.
It’s critical to act right away if one of your customers unavoidably clicks on a phishing email. There are certain actions you can take right away:
Inform IT
A phishing fraud cannot be stopped from spreading throughout the entire firm unless the appropriate department or individual is informed. Encourage your clients to request investigations from you.
Password resets
Change passwords on business and personal accounts to prevent further data loss and limit the damage.
Access, passwords, and connection
Client cybersecurity training is a great opportunity to go over various network components, including access rights, passwords, and the actual network connection. A greater comprehension of what they perform and why they’re crucial to business security might be beneficial for the client’s staff as well.
Users with privileged access typically carry out administrative-level tasks or access sensitive information. Every employee needs to be aware of whether they are general or privileged users so they can understand what data, tools, or procedures are available to them.
Employees should follow recommended practices when creating passwords, particularly for those used to access IT environments. Secure passwords should typically:
- Make each app/site your own.
- minimum of eight characters required.
- letters and special characters
- Avoid using apparent details like names and birthdays.
- Passwords should also be updated or altered approximately every six months.
Employees should be cautious of network connections outside of their homes or places of employment even though it could be less evident. Even if the data on their device is encrypted, a linked network need not send the data in an encrypted format, which leaves a wide range of vulnerabilities accessible.
Employees must be aware of the flaws in open networks and how they can be endangering the security of all the data shared on those networks. To ensure a secure connection, advise end users to only utilize trusted network connections or a VPN.
Device security
Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies are widespread today, and many firms have turned into havens for threat actors. As a TSP, your clients frequently depend on you to inform their staff members on the significance of device security.
A mobile or personal device can access all company data when it enters the office by connecting to the corporate network. Every device adds new endpoints, increasing the chances for attacks. Any mobile device could compromise the corporate network without a secure connection. Therefore, protecting these devices is crucial to avoiding a corporate disaster.
Mobile devices owned by private individuals are subject to the same dangers as corporate desktops and laptops. Due to the lack of endpoint protection built-in to tablets and smartphones, they can be even less safe. Users need to be careful about the websites they visit, the apps they download, and the links they click to secure the business and its data.
Physical security
Unfortunately, there are other risks that your clients and their staff should be aware of in addition to digital cyberthreats. Important to the protection of sensitive information is physical security.
Physical security should be taken seriously, even though customers and employees frequently neglect or disregard it.
We’ve all made the mistake of leaving a computer or mobile device unattended. However, if a worker’s unattended phone is swiped or someone gains access to their computer, their data will be at risk right away.
Being attentive is the best method to safeguard your clients’ personnel. Your customers can improve their physical safety both inside and outside the business by:
- Make it a habit to do this each time you get up from your desk. For Windows users, hold down the Windows key while pressing and holding the “L” key. Press control, shift, and eject (or the power key) all at once if you’re a Mac user.
- Instead of leaving private information lying about your desk, keep all your papers in a secured cabinet. Place important documents in a safe or locked cabinet before you leave for the day.
- Make careful to properly dispose of documents and data when you discard or toss them away by shredding them first.
Author Bio
Fazal Hussain is a digital marketer working in the field since 2015. He has worked in different niches of digital marketing, be it SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, PPC, or content marketing. He loves writing about industry trends in technology and entrepreneurship, evaluating them from the different perspectives of industry leaders in the niches. In his leisure time, he loves to hang out with friends, watch movies, and explore new places.
