Security Awareness Email To Employees: Bolstering The First Line Of Defense Against Phishing Attacks

While there are many technological means to detect and prevent phishing attacks, it is impossible to avoid phishing through only technical means. Hence, this is where phishing awareness campaigns pitch in. A simple phishing awareness e-mail can help employees spot and report suspected attempts. Additionally, enclosing a phishing training pdf in the e-mail can help an organization avoid the loss of money and its credibility.

Phishing awareness training begins with educating the employees. Depending on the type of organization, the administration can deliver this training through awareness e-mails, phishing awareness quizlet, etc. They are beneficial in providing useful insights such as the adverse consequences a phishing attack can lead to. The dedicated campaigns empower the employees to detect and report phishing attempts.

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The Components Of The Security Awareness Training E-mail

A security awareness training e-mail template should be well prepared by the organization and should consist of the following things:

Phishing Awareness About Different Type Of Attacks

Most employees have no idea about phishing until they fall into such a trap. Basic outlining of what phishing is and how hackers execute these phishing attacks is a fundamental knowledge everyone should possess. Notably, any organization is most susceptible to e-mail based phishing traps such as spear phishing.

Anti-Phishing Tips

Once employees know more about different phishing attacks, it is the right call to share phishing awareness tips with them. The employer should share basic thumb rules for employees to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks. These tips may include:

  • Not trusting any unsolicited e-mails
  • Not downloading any irrelevant files sent by unknown senders
  • Verifying the hyperlinks mentioned in any e-mail before accessing them
  • Avoid proceeding with any fund transfer without verifying with leadership
  • Always ensuring that the sender is authentic. An employee should always check the sender’s exact e-mail address and domain name.

 

Awareness About the Organization’s Anti Phishing Measures

Employees should be aware of the anti-phishing tools provided by the company. The administration must explain how they can leverage these tools for their security. They must be encouraged to utilize any available antivirus, plugins, or add-ons installed in their system by the employer.

Documented Guidelines

It is always prudent to share documented guidelines which employees can check every once in a while. Phishing awareness training powerpoint presentations or PDFs attached with phishing awareness e-mail template can reinforce the security training.

Escalation Plans

Employees should be aware of a defined escalation plan if they ever find any clue of phishing attacks or face one themselves. Employees should be able to quickly take the right action or escalate the situation to the concerned team to minimize possible damage.

Final Step: Monitoring Results To Improve

There is no better teacher than experience. After all the knowledge sharing through carefully designed phishing awareness template, organizations can deploy mock attacks. When employees click on any malicious links in these e-mails, the administration can communicate to them how they are potentially putting both themselves and the organization at risk.

The results from such simulated attacks can be beneficial for the administration. They will be able to identify the most vulnerable areas. Hence, they can focus the security monitoring and further strengthen their phishing awareness training.

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Conclusion

To conclude, sending security awareness e-mail to employees is an essential practice for any organization. Additionally, businesses must revise their phishing awareness practices every once in a while. Thus, their employees will be aware of the latest phishing threats and advanced anti-phishing techniques. The employer should invest in such training campaigns or even consult a cyber-security expert who can guide their employees in the right direction.

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