Building Cyber-Resilient Remote Teams

When is it time to go beyond basic cybersecurity training and build a cyber-resilient workforce? Basic training isn’t enough. To stay ahead of evolving threats, organizations need teams that can actively respond to and recover from cyber incidents. Why this matters: Awareness Isn’t Enough: One-time training sessions fail to address real-world risks. Threats Evolve Fast: Continuous learning ensures teams stay ahead of emerging dangers. Culture Over Compliance: Security should be embedded into your company's culture, not just a checkbox. The way forward: → Tailored Training for specific roles. → Ongoing Education to stay current. → Simulated Scenarios for real-world skills. → Foster a Security Culture across the organization. A resilient workforce can proactively handle cyber threats. Let’s empower teams to be both aware and resilient.

Remote work has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated this trend. While remote work offers many benefits, it also comes with its own set of security challenges. To keep your team and your company safe, it's important to follow these remote worker best practices: ✅Use strong and unique passwords: Encourage remote workers to use complex passwords that are difficult to guess. It's also important to use different passwords for different accounts to minimize the impact of a potential breach. ✅Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA): This can help prevent unauthorized access to accounts. ✅Be cautious of phishing emails: Phishing emails are a common method used by cybercriminals to trick users into revealing sensitive information. Teach remote workers how to identify suspicious emails and avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. ✅Keep software and devices up to date: Regularly updating software and devices is crucial for maintaining security. Updates often include important security patches that address vulnerabilities and protect against potential threats. ✅Use a virtual private network (VPN): A VPN creates a secure connection between a remote worker's device and the company's network. This helps protect sensitive data by encrypting the connection and making it more difficult for hackers to intercept. ✅Secure home Wi-Fi networks: Remind remote workers to secure their home Wi-Fi networks with strong passwords and encryption. This helps prevent unauthorized access to their network and protects sensitive data. ✅Educate employees on cybersecurity best practices: This can include topics like identifying social engineering tactics, avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, and safely handling sensitive information. By following these best practices, remote workers can help keep themselves and their companies safe from cyber threats. Stay safe 🔒

🚨 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲! 💻🔒 But here’s the catch: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆? Each day, businesses encounter 𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀, 𝟱𝟲𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 malware threats, and a ransomware attack 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟰 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝟵𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: A trained, proactive workforce acting as your strongest firewall—blocking threats, safeguarding data, and protecting your bottom line. So how do you turn your team into 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? Here are 𝟭𝟬 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲: 1️⃣ 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 • Cover fundamental concepts to establish a strong base. • Explain common threats and vulnerabilities. • Highlight the importance of proactive defense. 2️⃣ 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 • Teach how to recognize phishing emails and messages. • Show examples of common phishing scams. • Stress the importance of not clicking on suspicious links. 3️⃣ 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗛𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲 • Encourage the use of strong, unique passwords. • Recommend password managers for convenience and security. • Promote enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA). 4️⃣ 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Educate on tactics like pretexting, baiting, and tailgating. • Share real-world examples of social engineering attacks. • Provide actionable steps to resist manipulation. 5️⃣ 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Outline policies for secure data access and storage. • Emphasize encryption for sensitive data. • Train on proper disposal of confidential information. 6️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Encourage immediate reporting of unusual activity. • Provide clear steps for reporting incidents. • Reinforce that quick action can minimize damage. 7️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 • Teach safe practices for remote access to company systems. • Promote the use of secure Wi-Fi connections. • Emphasize the importance of VPNs and endpoint security. 8️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 • Share the latest trends and threats in cybersecurity. • Conduct refresher courses to keep knowledge up-to-date. • Use engaging formats like quizzes and videos. 9️⃣ 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Customize training for IT, HR, and other departments. • Address unique risks based on job functions. • Provide advanced training for high-risk roles. 🔟 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Conduct regular cybersecurity quizzes or simulations. • Use phishing tests to evaluate awareness. • Offer constructive feedback to improve weak areas. With the right strategies, your team can be the key to preventing the next big breach. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀? 

Drill baby, drill! I'm not referencing fossil fuel or hydraulic fracking, I'm talking about #cyber #resilience. Here at Inversion6, we have the opportunity to assist our clients by facilitating #incidentresponse exercises, often part of our #fractionalCISO services. One of the trends I've noticed recently is that organizations will plan and execute a table top exercise (TTX) on an annual basis, but seldom conduct regular drills of elements of their #cyberresilience plans. Those drills keep the procedures fresh in the "muscle memory" of the team, especially for those with combined IT/Cyber responsibilities (what I call the "Volunteer Firefighter" cybersecurity staffing model). Here is one idea for you. Run a bi-weekly #crisiscommunications drill where you get all of your responders in the same room or online meeting on short notice. - make sure more than one person can alert the team - set a time limit for everybody to be there (e.g. 5 minutes) - let everybody know that the drill can pre-empt other meetings (maybe block out the calendar for light tasking in an afternoon) - keep the drill short- 5 minutes - do a quick post-mortem the same day- what went well, what needs to be fixed, what new protocols do you need? If your people are comfortable, you may want to also exercise your back-up communications protocols and systems. Imagine if all or part of your primary notification systems are unavailable, or if key people (e.g. leadership) are out of the picture, do the others know what the clear plan is, and can they execute it. There is no substitute for practice, you'll relish these when you have a real incident, and you can then focus on the problem, and not getting your team together. Drill baby, drill!