3 Tip to Reduce Human Error in Cyber Security

Written by Ruby

Most successful breaches are caused by human error; addressing it is key.

Mistakes can cause serious damage to an organization's reputation and future. Despite the effort an individual puts in, no one is perfect. Employees make mistakes without recognizing the true danger this can be to the organization’s cybersecurity. These unintended actions can include: failing to create a strong password, downloading malware-infected files, and poor patch management. Due to human error, security breaches can occur which lead to data loss and system damage.

Although human error cannot be prevented, it can be reduced. The best way to begin is by implementing stronger work practices. Here are three tips to consider to mitigate human error!

IMPLEMENT PRINCIPLE OF LEAST PRIVILEGE

The principle of least privilege explains that an employee is only given enough permissions in order to complete their task. For example, consider an organization with employees and a manager. The accounts of employees have few permissions according to their task. If a hacker gets hold of one of these less privileged accounts through a phishing email, this causes only little damage. However, if the hacker was able to compromise an administrative account, that would lead to costly damage. Ensuring that most accounts have limited access to sensitive information is critical. By doing so, this principle will improve performance and minimize security attacks.

COMMIT TO TRAINING

Security awareness training is an effective strategy used to reduce risks. This helps guide employees to acquire enough knowledge to identify and avoid cyber attacks. Some important topics that should be covered during training are phishing, malware, and authentication.

IMPROVE COMMUNICATION

Communicating effectively in the workplace is one of the best practices to reduce human error. Employees should feel comfortable communicating with their co-workers and manager(s) about an issue or misunderstanding. Doing so regularly will verify that everyone understands their task correctly. If there is a risk, the people in the workplace should alert each other to quickly implement effective solutions.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when under pressure. However, human error in security is not to be taken lightly. Individuals can learn to make fewer errors that cause breaches in cybersecurity. Organizations and employees can start by shifting away from bad habits and planning the best strategies to maintain their reputability.