Navigating Human Vulnerability in Cybersecurity — Challenges and Opportunities

The human element of cybersecurity is simultaneously the most effective tool in your risk management toolbelt and the most complex to manage. Your staff can be your most robust early warning system, or the entry point for a disastrous cyberattack. How you manage your staff and their approach to cybersecurity dictates your organization’s resilience. Let's explore why.

What Is Human Vulnerability?

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are uniquely positioned in the information security and information technology realms. MSPs sit outside their client organizations, yet they provide critical services to organizations and are typically relied upon to work side-by-side with organizational staff on those services. In a natural way, MSPs become an extension of the client organization and are seen as such. When it comes to information security, MSPs also have unique challenges. They work with many customers who are at different levels of sophistication and at different parts of their information security journey. They also manage large swathes of data for their customers. As a result of those relationships and MSPs’ positions with respect to customer data, MSPs can exercise significant influence on their customers’ information security programs.

What to Look for in Security Awareness Training

Today's cybersecurity landscape is rapidly evolving, with new and more harrowing threats seemingly around every corner. With the right education and tools, managed service providers (MSPs) can situate themselves positively in the digital world and combat pesky cyber threats — and that's where security awareness training comes in. Security awareness training helps your team understand the signs and dangers of cyberattacks using different software, modules and services. When your team is well-versed in what's going on in the digital world, they can make more informed decisions to protect your organization, its data and client trust. Learn more about the crucial role of security awareness training and the key factors to look for when considering different options.

Creating a Culture of Security Awareness in the MSP Environment

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) perform countless mission-critical services for downstream clients. As such, MSPs are prime targets for attack. Numerous attacks over the past couple of years on Microsoft, Git, Solarwinds, and others highlighted the criticality of the impact that an attack on an MSP can have on downstream clients.

What is Phishing? Exploring Common Phishing Techniques

Social Engineering Risks for MSPs: The Complete Guide

Social Engineering is one of the most prolific entry points for modern cyberattacks. That makes sense: instead of trying to take advantage of a specific set of conditions that permit escalated permissions to resources, a threat actor need only take advantage of human behavioral quirks, many of which exist. Because they manage a lot of sensitive data as part of their daily operations, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have a unique risk profile for social engineering attacks. Understanding social engineering, how it works, and why it's so successful is vital to mitigating your company's risk.

Answering MSPs' Top 5 Client Questions — Security Awareness Training Edition

Delivering top-tier IT services requires collecting data from your clients, and it's only natural they'd want to know how you're protecting that valuable information. Part of your answer may involve proactive security awareness training — depending on your clients, your contract might even mandate this ongoing education as part of your information security program. Here are the top five questions your clients might have about security awareness.

Why Security Awareness Training Matters

The past decade has seen a dramatic upheaval in information security. The volume of malware attacks worldwide jumped from the millions to the tens of billions. Small, disjointed threat actors banded together to create ransomware and Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) firms which are highly organized and highly profitable, driving a multi-trillion-dollar global cybercrime industry. Businesses can—and do—spend hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars on infrastructure and services to thwart cyberattacks. If not paired with an effective cybersecurity awareness training program, that spending may amount to nothing more than security theater. Jump To: Risks of Avoiding Security Awareness Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Building a Proactive Defense Why Training Matters to Clients

What is Security Awareness Training?

Security awareness training is training for individuals to identify and respond appropriately to information security threats. Of course, if that were it, security awareness training wouldn’t be a rapidly growing multi-billion-dollar industry. This article will cover the human threat landscape, suggestions about what to include in a modern security awareness training program, and tips you can use to improve security awareness training efficacy. Jump To: Security Awareness Training Defined Benefits of Security Awareness Training Recognizing a Need for Training How to Strengthen Your Program Best Practices

Requirements for Employee Security Awareness Programs

How can managed service providers (MSPs) enhance security awareness programs and motivate employees to complete their training? A quality security awareness program provides a hands-on, industry-specific way for companies to gauge user habits and vulnerabilities. Modeling open communication and good security awareness behaviors can encourage employees to be more vigilant and protect sensitive data. Simultaneously, providing clear examples and a variety of phishing attempts that are not always easy to detect can mitigate human vulnerability. While some security awareness programs start without a hitch, others may cause unintentional confusion and require additional support. We've compiled the critical elements an MSP needs to communicate to their client's employees before launching a security awareness program.