The implementation of a cybersecurity culture has become a priority given the worrying data on cyber attacks that can harm companies. Furthermore, changes in working modalities, the increasingly sophisticated strategies used by cybercriminals and the need to implement effective approaches have also had a major impact on the security practices implemented by companies.
This new scenario has made companies from all segments evaluate with a more detailed analysis the security strategies used and the possibilities for improvement to create a digital security culture. This means that, in addition to using more assertive security tools, it was also necessary to make a complete change in the mentality of employees.
In this context, it is essential to help all users who are part of the company to establish routines and protocols aimed at digital security. Through multiple approaches, it is possible to guarantee an increasingly secure cyberspace and keep company data away from access by criminals.
Cybersecurity is a strategy, not a protocol
Until recently, digital security culture was treated within companies as a factor related only to the IT sector. With the changes we are experiencing today and a growing need for more effective protection of information, managers have come to understand how this security is fundamental for all processes implemented within the business.
Some companies that suffered major cyber attacks in recent years began to invest massively in security after the immense losses suffered. Renner , for example, suffered a major attack in 2021 that and e-commerce application, causing a substantial financial loss.
Another example of a cyber attack in 2022 that caused a loss of almost R$1 billion. After that, the retail giant Americanas started investing more in cybersecurity to block threats of this type. DDoS attacks, like the one suffered by Americanas, can make pages and services unavailable for days and even weeks. During this period, the company lost profitability and had its reputation seriously impacted.
Furthermore, we have the example of Amazon Web Services , a company that invests massively in cybersecurity. And even, based on the adoption of a highly strengthened digital security culture, they developed a security ambassador program , whose objective is to monitor and implement security practices aimed at protecting and maintaining information within the company.
This change allowed for a more strategic look at the security methodologies and solutions implemented by the company. In this way, continuous work began to change paradigms and the process of education and awareness among all users within the organization. Measures that, if adopted by the companies mentioned above, could have prevented losses resulting from cyber attacks.
The implementation of a digital security culture allows companies to act on two main fronts: employee awareness and the use of access policies and security tools focused on business needs. All these changes must be based on the structure and organization of the business, relying on solutions and protocols that are achievable and applicable to the reality of employees and the company.
Therefore, it is necessary, firstly, to change the consciousness of all employees, from the oldest to the new, including training. Concomitantly with this, there is also the need to implement more robust and complete security solutions. And with so many options on the market, it is essential to look for tools that can meet the company's demands and guarantee data privacy.
Analysis of current cyber threats in digital security culture
The development of a digital security culture must begin, as a priority, with the dissemination of a policy aimed at protecting information. An example of this is creating secure passwords , implementing procedures related to the work routine and identifying the risks that information leaks can pose to both the business and the employee themselves.
Following this process, it is the company's responsibility to carry out a complete analysis of the cyber risks to which the business may be subject. This assessment will help determine possible points for improvement and contribute to the process of choosing more efficient security tools for a business.
Identification and mitigation of emerging threats
Continuing this process of creating a culture of digital security, it is essential to implement a tool capable of identifying and mitigating emerging threats within your company's networks and devices. This identification will contribute to a faster response to incidents and avoid most problems caused by cyber attacks.
Your company's digital security culture must take into account not only the approaches used to prevent cybercriminals from accessing it, but also the protocol to be implemented in the face of threats that may occur. Preparing for potential cyber threats will help your company deal with these issues before they cause major problems for the business.
Digital security culture: role of employees
As we said previously, the role of your employees is fundamental in this change in digital security culture. Your employees need to adopt an approach focused on protecting information, in order to avoid creating points of vulnerability and ensure that your business is flowing according to expectations.
This means that it is necessary to train employees so that their digital behavior is in line with the expectations and needs of the business. This cybersecurity training must clearly and transparently address all scenarios where employees are involved
Digital security culture should be an approach to be implemented in the daily lives of all organizations. The rules established by the company and the expected approach to digital solutions used by the business must be part of the routine of all employees.
Furthermore, it will only be possible to promote a quality digital security strategy if the company provides all the necessary structure to do so. In addition to training and expecting employees to implement day-to-day actions aimed at a cybersecurity mindset, it is equally important to offer all professional support to implement service updates, clarify security-related issues, etc.
Establishment of digital security policies and guidelines
So that your employees know which protocols must be followed and the strategies used to protect data, it is necessary to establish a digital security policy and guidelines . This policy will provide all important information and resources aimed at improving security within your company.
This policy will be used by managers and employees in safety training processes, serving as a basis for the training used by the company. This document must consider routine procedures , infrastructure of technological resources and measures to be followed by employees.
Functioning as a list of rules and protocols to be followed, the information security policy will help control access, monitor resources and ensure that data transmission occurs in a secure and monitored manner. This document can be changed according to the company's needs or changes in the security protocols that must be followed.
For this reason, this policy must be transparent, so that all employees can understand its rules and ensure their application on a daily basis. The information security policy must be based on some basic principles, which are:
Confidentiality
As the name suggests, the concept of confidentiality within the context of information security refers to data protection. In other words: it refers to protecting the confidentiality of all information that is stored and handled by the business.
Confidentiality is directly related to the protection of data that is stored in the digital environment. Keeping this data away from access by unauthorized users will protect your business against major cyber scams, Ransomware attacks . Using this approach, cybercriminals hijack a company's confidential information and demand the payment of a ransom amount to return the data.
In addition to financial loss, this type of threat also favors the exposure of confidential data, causing immense damage to the organization. The impact on the image can be irreversible and destroy the business's reputation in the market.
Understand more about privacy in the digital environment:
Integrity
It is the company's responsibility to ensure the originality and reliability of the information that is collected and stored by the business. Maintaining integrity will contribute to your organization's compliance avoiding the penalties imposed by the General Data Protection Law.
All of a company's strategic decisions are made based on consolidated data. Ensuring the integrity of this information directly contributes to the development and growth of your business, so that all changes implemented are developed and planned according to realistic data.
Availability
In order for activities to be carried out with quality and in accordance with business expectations and planning, this information must be available whenever employees need it. This principle involves the use of resources to guarantee free access to authorized users to the data necessary for business continuity.
In the information age, data availability is essential to ensure business continuity. Daily activities depend on a rapid exchange of information, and because of this, whenever necessary , stored data must be available.
Imagine that your sales team is unable to finalize contracts because they do not have access to customer data. How much can this lack of access impact your company’s profitability?
Strategies for implementing a digital security culture
It is essential for your organization to use the best tools focused on digital security. As technology advances, the strategies used by cybercriminals also evolve, and it is essential that the security tools used by your organization are optimized and constantly updated.
For this reason, using advanced security resources can make all the difference in a company's cybersecurity strategy. With increasingly complete tools available on the market, it is necessary to find resources that meet your demands and can protect your information efficiently and easily.
Use of advanced digital security solutions
Counting on the help of technology is essential to improving data security within your organization. As well as creating a digital security policy and training employees involved in the processes, it is also essential to use advanced technologies to provide cutting-edge security within your company.
Currently, there are numerous tools on the market designed specifically to increase the protection of information stored by the business. However, we also need to consider the points of vulnerability that may be created and favor cybercriminals' access to a business's systems, networks and devices.
In this sense, it is also necessary to adopt monitoring and access control , in order to prevent users from accessing malicious pages and causing problems for your business. These tools allow for more assertive monitoring of user behavior on the internet and also carry out predictive blocking of certain content according to the needs and rules previously established by the organization.
Using this type of technology will help your company stay protected and updated in the face of the main cyber threats used by criminals today. The more prepared the business is, the greater the protection of information.
Internet access control helps to avoid the main problems in the digital environment and ensures that users only access relevant and safe content during working hours. Although certain pages may appear harmless, there are many hidden traps on the internet that can cause problems for your organization, and avoiding them should be a priority.
Continuous assessment of the company's cybersecurity
We need to remember that no rule should be set in stone. This means that the digital security culture within your company must be constantly updated.
As the strategies used by criminals improve , updating your business's digital security culture becomes essential. Continuous assessment of aspects relating to cybersecurity culture must be carried out with the aim of ensuring that all defense methodologies and strategies are in accordance with the real needs present in the digital environment.
Company Internet Security Test
To help you find possible points of vulnerability and understand whether your company is prepared to deal with cyber threats, there are some tests that can be carried out, such as Lumiun's internet security test.
Lumiun has developed an internet security test you discover whether accesses are vulnerable, delivering relevant information about your strategy. Through this test you will have access to realistic data to obtain a broad view of your company's security scenario and from there develop solutions.
Considering that Brazil ranked fifth in cyber attacks worldwide in 2022 , knowing the level of security is essential. Cyber attacks have been growing constantly and there is a prospect that this advance will continue, demonstrating how essential it is to obtain a more comprehensive view of your company's security strategy.
Through this test, we will be able to check whether your connection is blocking access to websites that are considered dangerous, or that present a risk to networks and devices. The purpose of this scan is to check whether your company is vulnerable to:
Often implemented in disguise, this type of application and fraud can be found on gaming and betting websites, pages with violent content, pornography , social networks , among others. Indiscriminate access to this type of content can expose your company to the main risks present in the digital environment and harm the organization's digital security culture.
Actions for continuous improvement in digital security culture
Contrary to popular belief, improving the digital security culture within your company is simpler than you might think. Below are some tips we have prepared to help your company protect itself:
Creating a security policy
The security policy consists of a strategy aimed at guiding and developing organizational guidelines for data protection . This security policy must then be implemented by all employees to ensure a more protected and threat-free environment.
The security policy must be developed considering the needs of your business and the resources used by employees. These rules have the main objective of supporting and guiding daily activities so that digital behavior is as safe as possible.
Considering that most vulnerabilities are created due to users' own behavior, security policy is fundamental. The more informed employees are, the lower the company's chances of suffering from cyber attacks.
Employee training
Training your company's employees is a priority in creating a more efficient and complete cybersecurity culture. The process of raising awareness about the risks and traps found in the digital environment that can impact information security helps to ensure more knowledge and responsibility for everyone involved.
It is essential that employees feel more prepared to avoid the traps that are planted by cybercriminals. Although they seem harmless, most of these threats can cause immense damage to your organization.
Implementing a training process can strengthen the company's security strategy and help reduce problems caused by errors and inappropriate behavior in the digital environment.
Implementation of solutions that meet your business needs
Combined with the two previous tips, implementing more efficient technologies can optimize your company's security in a very simplified way. Considering the organization's needs, it is necessary to find complete solutions that are easy for users to use.
These tools will help monitor user behavior, block inappropriate access, alert those responsible about possible threats and stay up to date with the main risks found in the digital environment. Investing in this type of resource is essential, especially given the growing rates of cyber attacks.
In addition to having antivirus and firewall, your company also needs to invest in an internet access monitoring and control tool. Considering that many attacks are favored by user behavior, using a good tool to prevent access to inappropriate pages is a highly effective strategy.
Digital Security Culture is everyone’s responsibility
The technological revolution has brought us resources that make our routine easier and provide more practicality in everyday life. For these tools to continue delivering all these benefits, it is our role to ensure that the exchange of information happens safely . For this reason, digital security culture has become such a relevant topic.
As we mentioned previously, Amazon Web Services is one of the companies that invests the most in cybersecurity , having consolidated a strengthened digital security culture focused on a preventive approach. Through the security ambassador program, teams can monitor and implement security practices aimed at protecting data.
As we have seen throughout this material, cybersecurity has reached a priority level within companies of all sizes. With the arrival of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the adoption of more efficient solutions must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
In addition to ensuring that your company remains protected, implementing more efficient solutions will contribute to improving the business's image in the market and consumers. Security failures also say a lot about the management and quality of service provided by your company , and avoiding this type of problem is also a very efficient commercial strategy.
