Part 2 of 3: Reducing Data Leaks + Data Security Awareness
Employees are responsible for 90% of all data breaches! That’s why Part 1 of this mini-series discusses the basics of data leaks, while Part 2 tackles the source of the problem: Human error. This is the last employee training you’ll ever need!
1. Intro to Information Security
All employees companywide need to understand what information they need to protect. Start your perfect employee training on data security awareness by introducing them to PII and its various types.
Intro to PII materials:
- PII and Its Many Forms: Definitions and explanations for PII, PHI, PCI DSS, personal data, sensitive data, protected data, etc.
- PII Examples: FREE DOWNLOAD of different kinds of PII examples for varied use (show how PII appears in real-life scenarios, test employees to identify PII, Plug & Play in your sensitive data discovery tool, etc.)
- PII Protection Awareness: Helpful teaching materials and images, including direct and indirect identifiers, PII recognition, fake email examples, etc.
2. Common Data Leak Threats
Cyberattacks come in many shapes and sizes, and they often target small companies specifically. Ensure the employees are aware of all the following cyberattack techniques:
- Phishing emails and social engineering tricks.
- Unsafe downloads,
- Public Wi-Fi risks,
- Unsecure password storage and reuse, etc.
And since we’re all visual learners, we’ve prepared a few examples of common phishing emails and other cyber-theft tactics your employees may encounter. Feel free to use them in your training.
Finally, to truly drive this important step home, you can have the participants take Google’s free Phishing Quiz to really test their data security awareness.
3. Password Security
Ironclad data breach prevention is built on employees exercising healthy data protection habits daily. Estimates suggest that as many as 41% of Americans write their passwords down, and some even choose to record them in apps like Notes on their mobile devices.
Source: PEW Research Center
Use this segment to teach the basics of strong password practices. Maybe you even have a companywide policy on how passwords are made and kept, something worth refreshing in employees’ minds here.
Also discuss password managers, which are widely viewed as a secure method of storage, given that the master password is the strongest of all.
4. Data Leak Response
If it looks suspicious, report it. All employees should be highly encouraged to report even the smallest instance of potential phishing, unauthorized access by a coworker, accidental data leaks, and any kind of dubious activity.
Again, go over the company’s policy regarding reporting and the response procedure in such situations. Employees should walk away from this section understanding the following:
- How to report suspicious emails, data leaks, or lost devices.
- Company’s incident response plan—who to contact and how.
- Importance of timely reporting (no blame culture).
The final point above is exceedingly critical. Estimates suggest that as many as 60% of workplace misconduct goes unreported, mostly due to a fear of retaliation. This also applies to cybersecurity issues, as people are often hesitant to acknowledge their own and their colleagues’ mistakes.
5. Employee Training Review
By the end of your employee training on PII protection and data leak prevention, it’s important to review all the points again. The idea is to reinforce everything they’ve just learned, given they’re expected to absorb a lot of information at once.
And the training doesn’t stop here. The “Reinforce and Review” method should be repeated as often as 4x per year. As technology and AI continue to evolve, you have to ensure all employees are up to date on the latest cyberthreats.
Issuing a monthly Data Breach Prevention email is another effective tactic of “ongoing microlearning” to guarantee data security awareness remains top of mind across the whole company.
Sensitive Data Protection
Those are the 5 main steps, complete with helpful materials, to create your own Perfect Employee Training on how to avoid data leaks and boost data security awareness.
Another way to increase your business’s information security is by deploying the PII Tools sensitive data discovery software. You could even display this easy-to-use system in your employee training to show how PII is collected, processed, and stored safely and in accordance with all major regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc.).
With the right approach to employee awareness and sensitive data protection tools, you can effectively eliminate the human factor. And there’s no better time to start than the present. Happy training!
CTV: Demo PII Tools for FREE and Start Fighting Data Loss Today!
