How To Reduce Human Cyber Risks?

Due to their hypermedia coverage, it is legitimate to think that cyber threats mainly come from outside (mass cyberattacks, DDoS attacks, cyber espionage, etc.). This also explains why companies mobilize most of their resources to fight against external threats. However, there are other threats, much closer than you think and just as dangerous.

They are located directly in your company and generally emanate from an individual. These are the famous “human cyber-risks.” What are “human cyber risks”? Why do we say that humans represent a cyber risk for a company? What strategies should be adopted to reduce this risk? We answer you through this article.

What Are “Human Cyber Risks”?

Human cyber risk results in a voluntary or involuntary act carried out by an internal person having the effect of harming the company. More concretely, it may be an error or negligence by one of your employees, a lack of knowledge of cybersecurity procedures, or even malicious intent.

This cyber risk concerns anyone accessing company assets and data: employees, partners, CEOs, shareholders, etc. The threat can be at every level of the organization. That’s not all! It can also come from your suppliers and partners with privileged infrastructure access. A recent study by the Ponemon Institute classifies human-related cyber threats into three categories:

Negligent individuals: they are the cause of 61% of security incidents.
Careless individuals whose credentials have been stolen: They account for 25% of security incidents.
Malicious individuals: they are the cause of 14% of security incidents.

Why Do Humans Represent A Cyber Risk?

Humans are the number 1 cause of cybersecurity breaches in a company. According to Verizon’s 2022 investigative report, he is implicated in over 80% of security breaches. In the vast majority of cases, an employee unintentionally endangers his company. This endangerment often results from an error or lack of vigilance, such as clicking on a suspicious link or consulting a page of an unsecured website.

Cybercriminals know it well; employees are the gateway to an organization’s computer systems. They can easily break into a company’s network by exploiting their negligence and ignorance of cybersecurity. Employees today face hackers using ever more sophisticated social engineering techniques. These methods of psychological persuasion lead them to carry out a series of actions that can harm an entire company.

Human Error Is A Scourge For Businesses.

We all make mistakes. Unfortunately, some can seriously impact an organization’s systems and data security. Human error is considered to be the primary source of cyber incidents. 43% of employees say they have already made an error that has compromised the company’s IT security, according to Tessian’s The Psychology of Human Error report.

Among the most common errors are:

Sharing, writing, or reusing passwords across multiple accounts
Inappropriate manipulation of data, such as entering the wrong recipient or attaching the wrong file
Clicking on fraudulent links or opening a booby-trapped attachment from a phishing email.
Upload files or applications containing viruses to an insecure or booby-trapped website.

These errors dangerously expose the company’s data and can cost them dearly. According to the Kaspersky Lab and B2B International survey, the cost of inappropriate data sharing would be, on average, $88,000 for an SME. The material loss of a mobile device is assessed at $99,000. Significant sums for small and medium-sized businesses.

Another worrying fact is that the number of cyber incidents caused by human error is rising. In just one year, the percentage of VSEs and SMEs victimized by an attack involving human error has risen from 25 to 32%. This trend should cause real awareness and lead companies to find solutions to overcome this internal threat.

How To Protect Against Human Cyber Risk?

Many companies do not feel sufficiently protected against human cyber risks. Also, according to the Kaspersky Lab and international B2B survey, 52% of companies admit that their employees represent the main weak point of their cybersecurity. Yet, human-centric security solutions are available today that provide organizations with high protection. Placing people at the heart of your cyber defense strategy will make them a formidable element in the fight against computer attacks.

Continuous Management Of Human Risks:

Human risk management (HRM) is a complete and effective solution to the evolution of cyber threats. It allows companies to understand, reduce and monitor cyber risks involving humans. It promotes the adoption of more secure behaviors and establishes an authentic culture of cybersecurity within the teams. It consists of four key elements:

Cybersecurity Awareness
The phishing simulation
company security policy
Dark web monitoring

To effectively manage human risks, the support of your management is crucial. It must support your efforts by communicating regularly with the staff and allocating the budget necessary to carry out your actions. The success of your HRM will also depend on the consistency of your awareness plan and your employees’ commitment.

It must be adapted to the business sector of the company and must take into account the evolution of the cyber threat. In addition, through your HRM policy, you must instill that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. The IT department is not solely responsible. Anyone with access to company data is concerned and must adopt the appropriate behavior to protect it.

Some Bonus Tips For Effective HRM

Finally, here are some tips for carrying out your human risk management strategy:

Evaluate your staff’s maturity level regarding corporate cybersecurity to assess training needs and carry out more targeted actions.
Offer fun and engaging awareness: favor short formats, encouraging interaction.
Deploy quarterly phishing simulations to train your employees and check the acquisition of best practices.
Develop an IT charter indicating the uses and tools authorized or not by the company and informing your staff of good digital practices.
Keep your cybersecurity policies up to date: they must incorporate new processes and tools and guide your employees to deal with new cyber threats.
Measure the impact of your human cyber risk management.

How Does BA INFO Help You Reduce Human Cyber Risks?

BA INFO supports you in implementing your human cyber risk management strategy. We aim to help you turn your employees into security-savvy by working with your time and budget. We provide you, via a single platform, with all the tools necessary to measure, reduce and monitor human cyber risks.

You can launch appropriate awareness programs (e-learning), create phishing campaigns and simplify the management of your security policies. You also have a dark-web monitoring report notifying you when your employees’ data is dangerously exposed.