September 28th 2017
A new survey from Accenture has revealed that 55% of workers in the UK could not remember ever having received training on cybersecurity.
The consultancy’s Cyber Threatscape Report also highlights that 19% of workers are not sure that they would be able to identify a phishing email if they received it.
This renders the organisations they work for highly vulnerable to fraud, information theft and other cyber-enabled crime, however sophisticated their technical security solutions may be.
Advising that structured training could be key to reducing the threat, Accenture points out that the average cost of cybercrime to businesses in the UK has increased by 19% over the last year to £6.4 million. Improved staff training would also reduce the amount of money spent on dealing with breaches after they occur – often damaging revenues, reputation and the integrity of customer and employee data.
The survey also finds that 70% of employees who did receive training reported an improvement in their ability to respond to cyber threats. One in four thought that training was more effective against phishing scams than the authorities tracking down the perpetrators.
Rick Hemsley, Managing Director of Accenture Security, said: “Large businesses in the UK can expect to face more than 80 cyberattacks each year, with one in three breaching security.
"It’s therefore no surprise that companies are investing more than ever in security solutions. However, this research shows that no matter how much they spend, businesses that fail to educate staff about cybersecurity put themselves at greater risk of being hacked.
“Effective investment will not only enable practical solutions like stronger spam filters, cloud-based email analytics, virus scanners and firewalls. It will ensure employees have the tools they need to recognise threats, including phishing scams, through prevention training and awareness programmes. Ultimately, an organisation’s security is only as strong as its weakest link, which in many cases could be its own workforce.”
