Free Privileged Account Discovery Tool: Identify & secure credentials to stop lateral movement. Download Free

BeyondTrust
  • Products
    Privileged Password Management
    Discover, manage, audit, and monitor privileged accounts
    Password Safe DevOps Secrets Safe
    Endpoint Privilege Management
    Manage privileges on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix endpoints
    Windows and Mac Unix and Linux Active Directory Bridge
    Secure Remote Access
    Centrally manage and secure remote access for service desks and vendors
    Remote Support Privileged Remote Access
    BeyondInsight Analytics
    See All Solutions
  • Resources

    Universal Privilege Management

    Our innovative Universal Privilege Management approach secures every user, asset, and session across your entire enterprise.

    Watch Video

    Learn

    Case Studies
    Competitor Comparisons
    Datasheets
    Glossary
    Product Demos
    Whitepapers

    Attend

    Events
    Go Beyond
    Training
    Webinars

    Support

    Changelog
    Professional Services
    Technical Documentation
  • Blog
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Services
  • Training
  • Events
  • Company

Lessons Learned: Security Awareness Training

December 12, 2016

  • Blog
  • Archive
Security Awareness Training Think back for a second on all the safety lessons we learned as kids; for example, when you cross a street, you look both ways. But some safety lessons had to evolve over time. For example, no one wore seat belts. We would bounce around the back of the station wagon and think it was fun. As adults, we learned the important of seat belts, the safety they provide, and wear them every time. We now make it mandatory for all drivers and teach it as a fundamental step for all new drivers despite some still ignoring the benefit. Cyber security awareness training is no different than the two analogies above. There are no seat belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, etc. (security solutions) that can stop every threat, and stepping off the curb without looking (i.e. clicking on a link, opening a file, inserting a foreign USB key, etc.) can cause a world of grief and pain. When the Internet first started in the 1990’s, the threats were basic computer viruses – bowling for elves for example. AV solutions managed them. Today, the threats have evolved and many people that use technology have not been taught to look both ways. Like with seatbelts, we need to educate people on the dangers and raise awareness so their careless actions do not cause damage.

Cyber Security Awareness Training is Fundamental

Since the Internet is constantly evolving, and new risks appear every day, cybersecurity awareness training is fundamental to keep people up to date on what the threats are, how to spot them, and most importantly how to avoid them. Safe computing is important to every business because once a beach head (an attack is inside the company’s systems) is established, data, the business, and even personal safety are at risk. Cyber security training is not something you see on Saturday morning cartoons like how a bill becomes a law. It is not something a parent can teach you like crossing a street. It is something that needs to be taught based on the threat landscape and what it means to your business.

Critical Elements of Cyber Security Awareness Training

Security awareness training is essential for every business. It:
  1. Outlines what can happen if you do not pay attention and what can happen to you and the company.
  2. Identifies the threats the business can experience from phishing and ransomware, to social engineering.
  3. Explains the sensitivity of the data the company maintains and what could happen if it was leaked.
Once the risk is defined (like getting hit by a car), then education can be conducted on how to avoid the threat. Do not open attachments from people you do not know, do not click on links to unknown websites, do not pick up a random USB keys and put it into your computer, do not share files, do not copy data… and so on.

Think of Cyber Security Awareness Training Like Insurance

The investment a company makes to teach these fundamentals is analogous to insurance. You pay up front to teach the basics so you do not have to pay after a problem occurs. Then, you provide continuous cybersecurity awareness training (like paying a premium) to ensure that your weakest link in cybersecurity, your employees, actually becomes your strongest asset in prevention of a breach. If you see something, say something. Without that basic lesson, employees will do whatever they want with technology and the company will have to clean up and pay for the mess. And maybe, pay a fine or even be out of business.

Morey J. Haber, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at BeyondTrust

Morey J. Haber is Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at BeyondTrust. He has more than 25 years of IT industry experience and has authored four Apress books: Privileged Attack Vectors (2 Editions), Asset Attack Vectors, and Identity Attack Vectors. In 2018, Bomgar acquired BeyondTrust and retained the BeyondTrust name. He originally joined BeyondTrust in 2012 as a part of the eEye Digital Security acquisition. Morey currently oversees BeyondTrust strategy for privileged access management and remote access solutions. In 2004, he joined eEye as Director of Security Engineering and was responsible for strategic business discussions and vulnerability management architectures in Fortune 500 clients. Prior to eEye, he was Development Manager for Computer Associates, Inc. (CA), responsible for new product beta cycles and named customer accounts. He began his career as Reliability and Maintainability Engineer for a government contractor building flight and training simulators. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Stay Up To Date

Get the latest news, ideas, and tactics from BeyondTrust. You may unsubscribe at any time.

I agree to receive product related communications from BeyondTrust as detailed in the Privacy Policy, and I may manage my preferences or withdraw my consent at any time.

You May Also Be Interested In:

Whitepapers

A Zero Trust Approach to Secure Access

Webcasts

Rising CISOs: Ransomware, Cyber Extortion, Cloud Compromise, oh my!

Whitepapers

A Zero Trust Approach to Windows & Mac Endpoint Security

BeyondTrust Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Keep up with BeyondTrust

I agree to receive product related communications from BeyondTrust as detailed in the Privacy Policy, and I may manage my preferences or withdraw my consent at any time.

Customer Support
Contact Sales

Products

  • Endpoint Privilege Management
  • Password Management
  • Privileged Remote Access
  • DevOps Secrets Safe
  • Remote Support

Resources

  • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Competitor Comparisons
  • Datasheets
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Webcasts
  • Whitepapers

About

  • Company
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Leadership Team
  • Partner Program
  • Press

Languages

  • English
  • German
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Japanese
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • Manage Cookies
  • WEEE Compliance

Copyright © 1999 — 2020 BeyondTrust Corporation. All rights reserved. Other trademarks identified on this page are owned by their respective owners. BeyondTrust Corporation is not a chartered bank or trust company, or depository institution. It is not authorized to accept deposits or trust accounts and is not licensed or regulated by any state or federal banking authority.