Page 54 - Cyber Defense eMagazine - November 2017
P. 54

Consider this scenario:

                       Maria from accounting notices a suspicious looking email in her inbox and realizes it’s
                       likely a phishing email, so she doesn’t open it. Feeling proud that she spotted the email
                       before opening it, she moves on to the next task at hand. She figures since she didn’t fall
                       for it, there’s no need to do anything else. She never reports it.

                       Hackers often send out mass amounts of phishing emails – possibly to employees within
                       the same company – looking for the weakest link. So while Maria didn’t take the bait, her
                       coworker who receives a similar email the next day might. Reporting suspicious emails
                       allows IT and company leaders to create awareness around the issue.

                       What  if  Maria  had  fallen  for  the  phishing  email  but  still  didn’t  tell  anyone?  The
                       consequences could have been tragic. It’s important to create a workplace where people
                       feel  open  and  invested.  Instilling  fear  in  employees  for  reporting  cybersecurity  issues
                       won’t  help.  Instead,  offer  an  incentive  or  award.  For  example,  give  a  special  treat  to
                       those who report a phishing email.



               About the Author

               Mary-Michael  Horowitz  is  VP  of  sales  and  operations  at Asylas,  a  security,  privacy  and  risk
               consulting firm located in Nashville, TN. She works with small- and medium-sized businesses to
               align business goals and objectives with technology solutions that fit for today and plan for the
               future.

























                   54    Cyber Defense eMagazine – November 2017 Edition
                         Copyright © 2017, Cyber Defense Magazine,  All rights reserved worldwide.
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