The training proves to be a good preventive against phishing attacks on companies, a security problem that causes millionaire losses every year. According to new research conducted by Security Technologies Wombat and the Ponemon Institute, phishing attacks can be largely prevented by proper safety phishing training for employees.

The phishing attacks are a real nightmare for businesses, which also jeopardize the economy and in extreme cases even threaten the very survival of the organization, also it causes lost productivity, identity theft, resource consumption of the corporate network and, among other damages, threatens the image of the company.

So, today I will talk on email phishing training & their awareness. So let's start.

Email is one of the most common ways attackers use to infiltrate an organization's systems and gain access to confidential data. Email is integrated into smartphones, tablets, gaming devices, and desktops but it is not designed to protect privacy or security.

Without established protections, "email is a postcard, not a sealed letter," People often do not understand the permanence of data and how they can exist on servers long after they have forgotten them.

Also, email is one of the most common ways hackers infiltrate a company's system. They often use phishing scams, and send emails that appear to come from a legitimate source that asks recipients to click on a link that tells them to provide credit card or password information."

How can you protect your communications by email?

Encryption is a logical solution and provides effective protection. Even small and medium businesses should consider encryption, especially if they refer to data such as customer credit card information and intellectual property.

There are old fossilized misconceptions about encryption - it must be difficult to use, only computer experts can understand it, it will delay things - but they are no longer valid. The tools are easy to use and I strongly invite you to use encryption.

Encryption only intended users and recipients can see the information. For added security and a tool that deals with phishing, users may want to add a digital signature (an encrypted message associated with a specific person).

Educating staff about the use of email is crucial.

Conduct training regularly to make employees aware of the rules and practices regarding email.

Carry out your activities diligently: investigate threats and solutions, and review how your company stores information, how it sends information, and how it handles credit card information. Make sure your company is complying with current regulations.

Consult more than one supplier, depending on your needs. “Everyone needs firewalls and anti-virus software. Do you allow your employees to access the network from abroad?

Maybe you should consider a VPN (a virtual private network). Don't be afraid to check the system with multiple providers. No company can do everything.

Technology can be effective in mitigating threats associated with emails, but don't trust it alone.

As a user, try to apply best practices and don't be careless when handling your information.

Fight phishing campaigns with good practices

The study, entitled "Cost of Phishing and Value of Employee Training" attributes the success of phishing training campaigns to the lack of staff training. In his investigation he found that after a training the effects of phishing were reduced by an average of 64 percent , a percentage that translates into a saving of about 1.8 million dollars annually.

The study proved that training can be effective in teaching employees to identify a phishing message. The application of good security practices significantly reduces the percentage of people who click.

It is a hopeful result, which contradicts the usual belief about the inefficiency of employee training as a factor that helps combat phishing attacks. "When talking with security officers, we see that many do not expect great benefits from training strategies."

However, the study demonstrates the opposite, so the authors work conclude that security officers should expect more from employee education and "bet on this type of reinforcement to help end the problem", more and more difficult to fight for its "increasing intensity and complexity" explains on Phish Protection.

According to the study, finally, the estimated savings that due training provides means avoiding losses of about 4 million dollars to a company. Likewise, the average annual expenditure required to contain a credential commitment caused by a phishing campaign exceeds $ 380,000, and if the losses cannot be contained, they multiply.

The business interruption phishing is another serious threat of huge losses.

Phishing is a computer crime that uses emails to carry out criminal practices by obtaining confidential user data (usually bank data) that is then used to perform some type of fraudulent practice.

Pharming, one of the most dangerous forms of phishing awareness, redirects to a web page that looks identical to the original, but has been created by the attacker to obtain private data. Together with the possibility of training, anti-spam filters and antivirus programs demonstrate relative effectiveness.

Author's Bio: 

Phishing awareness training can protect your users and your business from email fraud.