Cybersecurity training needs a human touch

A new study from CybSafe finds that only 42 percent of office workers are satisfied with their current cybersecurity training.

The research aims to gain deeper insights into workers' opinions on cybersecurity training, their motivations for security, and their views on Cybersecurity Awareness Month -- held annually in October. It finds that cybersecurity training is generally a standardized, solitary process that would benefit greatly from a more personalised and human-centred approach.

Only a minority of workers (15 percent) participate in Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the majority of activities are promoted and carried out individually online, with only 26 percent discussing upcoming events in meetings, and a newsletter being the most popular CAM activity (62 percent).

These activities are mandatory in just 37 percent of the organizations that participate in CAM. In addition 67 percent of respondents feel that CAM activities should be tailored to different departments within an organization, while 46 percent feel they should be individually tailored.

Dr. Jason Nurse, director of science and research at CybSafe, says:

This research serves as a reminder to cybersecurity professionals that fostering a sense of collective responsibility requires a human-centric approach. Human risk management is inherently a human endeavor.

As organizations prepare for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, they should prioritize activities that are relevant to employees' job roles and designed to actively engage them. This will not only enhance participation, but also lead to a more significant impact on security behaviors across the workforce.

When asked what motivates or would motivate their participation in CAM activities, the desire to protect personal information is the main response (77.8 percent). This is closely followed by a desire to protect the organization’s information, with almost six in 10 respondents emphasizing a sense of collective responsibility that organizations aim to promote.

The full report is available on the CybSafe site.

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