The responsibilities of a CISO and the importance of Raising Awareness to Tackle Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
In today's cybersecurity landscape, companies face a growing threat from cyberattacks, especially through social engineering and phishing. According to an ESET report, covering the first half of 2022, 44% of companies have already suffered phishing attacks, an increase of 226% compared to the last half of 2021.
Identifying, assessing and mitigating security risks are crucial tasks overseen by a CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), a high-level executive responsible for establishing and maintaining an organization's information security strategy. This involves analyzing vulnerabilities and threats, providing adequate training to employees to strengthen resilience against these attacks, and implementing appropriate protection measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software and intrusion detection.
Any employee of any company can fall victim to a cyberattack. A report called "State of the CISO", conducted at Salt's request by Global Surveyz, revealed that 89% of the CISOS interviewed consider that the rapid growth of the digital economy has introduced unforeseen security risks into their organizations. The digital transformation has brought with it new threats and concerns that companies must consider to maintain the security of their business.
Tackling social engineering and phishing through awareness
Excellent security solutions are important, but so is taking care of employees' ability to prevent successful attacks. The CISO plays a key role in raising awareness and training employees about social engineering and phishing attacks. These types of attacks exploit human nature, tricking users into gaining unauthorized access to systems and confidential information.
Consider the following example: the attacker selects a target, which may be a specific person or an organization. It then collects information about the target, like email addresses and employee names, to make the attack more convincing. The attacker creates an email that looks like a legitimate communication from a trusted source. For example, the criminal poses as the head of the company's financial department, sending employees a request for a report to be delivered urgently and with a template attached. Instead of being sent by "maria.sillas@...", the e-mail is sent by "maria.slllas@...". This simple example, based on a sense of urgency and hierarchy, may fool a helpful employee who fails to notice the change of letters. The consequences of a successful phishing attack may include financial losses, compromised personal information or reputational damage. Furthermore, the information collected can be sold on the dark web or used for other attacks.
The best way to protect yourself against these attacks is to be on the lookout for warning signs, like spelling or grammar mistakes in the email, suspicious URLs, urgent requests or inappropriately requested personal information.
Faced with this scenario, an adequate protection strategy entails continuous training of employees in cyber-ethical security, to create collective awareness of data protection to mitigate the risks.
Training alone is not enough. Information retention must be promoted.
Awareness and education are essential to creating a culture of security. In this sense, gamified and continuous training programs have proven to be highly effective compared to standard and intermittent training programs. "By adopting playful and engaging approaches, gamified training captures participants' attention more effectively, stimulating interest and active participation. With game elements such as competition, challenges and rewards, gamified programs motivate employees to get involved and expand their knowledge of social engineering, phishing attacks, and general data protection law best practices, among other topics. This results in better retention of information and strengthens participants' practical skills," explains Vinicius Perallis, founder of Hacker Rangers Security Awareness, a platform that promotes a corporate cybersecurity culture through gamification.
In an increasingly connected world, with ever more sophisticated attacks, investing in training and awareness is a crucial strategy to protect company assets and confidential information. A gamified and continuous training program offers more effective and sustainable education, contributing to a stronger and more resilient security culture within the organization.
Benefits of Hacker Rangers Training for Companies:
Employee Awareness: Social engineering and phishing attacks often rely on the psychological manipulation of employees. Training helps raise awareness of the tactics used by attackers, enabling employees to identify and report possible threats.
Identifying Attack Indicators: Training covers information on the warning signs associated with social engineering and phishing attacks. This enables employees to identify suspicious messages, malicious links, requests for confidential information and other attempts at manipulation.
Improving Digital Hygiene: In addition to identifying threats, the training addresses good cybersecurity practices, such as the use of strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, software updates and safe web browsing. These measures help reduce the risk of successful attacks.
Phishing simulations: An effective approach involves phishing simulations, sending fake emails to employees and monitoring their responses. This allows you to identify vulnerable areas and provide additional training to the most susceptible individuals.
Compliance with Brazil’s General Data Protection Law: The Brazilian General Data Protection Law (commonly known as the LGPD in Brazilian Portuguese) requires companies to protect individuals' personal information. With Hacker Rangers, your organization meets LGPD requirements by demonstrating actions to educate employees on the importance of data protection and best practices to prevent security breaches. Ensure compliance and fight cybercrime with your most valuable asset: your employees.
Visit hackerrangers.com to learn more!
