GoldPhish is offering FREE100, free online training via CybAcademy, its online security education platform, to small and medium enterprises.
Cyber crime is a growing concern for businesses across the board. The threat landscape is becoming increasingly complex, and the adversary more sophisticated and determined.
The Ponemon Institute conducted a study last year, which estimated the average cost of a data breach to businesses stands at R32 million to R36 million.
Moreover, a Juniper Research report, "The Future of Cyber Crime and Security: Enterprise Threats and Mitigation 2017-2022", said that in the next five years, security breaches will have cost businesses globally a total of $8 trillion in fines, lost business and remediation costs.
"Cyber security is no longer just a 'boardroom buzzword', but a very real threat to workers far and wide, leaving many smaller businesses wondering how they'll tackle an attack, not if, but when one will strike," says Dan Thornton, director at GoldPhish, a cyber risk management and consulting company with offices in the Eastern Cape and the UK.
He says for smaller businesses, a lack of IT security isn't about not caring; it is about a lack of available budget. "This is why GoldPhish is offering FREE100, free online training via CybAcademy, its online security education platform, to organisations with up to 100 employees."
Thornton believes technology alone isn't enough to successfully fight today's threats. Instead, a combination of people, processes and technology is needed, but all of that costs money. By offering free Web-based education, GoldPhish is helping organisations stay one step ahead of the crooks.
"And what we feel is fundamental in this offering is assisting the supply chains of larger organisations to become better protected as well."
The weakest link
No matter how much money a business has spent on security, or how established its IT department is, any company is only as strong as its weakest link, he stresses.
"GoldPhish focuses on the fundamental weakness in all security plans: the human factor. One employee, one contractor is all it takes to let in an attack. Having to cease business for days or losing customer data as a consequence can be catastrophic for business."
Thornton says the training aims to improve awareness of the risk and train employees within an organisation, and its supply chain, to mitigate that risk. The platform features interactive training courses and a lifecycle of cyber security awareness materials, designed with non-technical staff in mind.
There are two baseline e-learning programmes within the CybAcademy platform, and both are available through the FREE100 initiative. The first is a cyber security awareness programme, aimed at users ranging from interns to C-level executives.
It employs training modules on basic cyber hygiene and teaches users how to protect themselves at work and at home. There is specific content on what to do if they suspect a security event has taken place, and how to respond to such an incident.
The other programme covers cyber risk management, designed for executives and senior management. This programme uses training modules that introduce managers to the cyber threat to business to help them understand the potential cyber impact on business risk and financial loss. The training includes real-life cyber incident case studies but does not specifically go into crisis management detail on how to respond to an incident.
To qualify for the FREE100 initiative, small businesses must have no more than 100 employees. All businesses must register individually, as must their suppliers and third-party partners. To sign up, click here.
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