According to Ernst & Young’s 2024 Human Risk in Cybersecurity Survey, cyber threats are evolving alongside a growing cybersecurity preparedness gap, especially among younger generations. With more than two-thirds of breaches involving employee actions, building a culture of security across your business is mission critical. 

This blog post will guide you through the essential steps to foster a security-first mindset within your business, no matter the size and whether you are just starting out or already well-established.

Leadership and Communication 

Culture starts from the top. Business leaders should actively promote and participate in cybersecurity initiatives to set a strong example for the rest of their organization. This includes communicating regularly about avoiding cyberthreats. 

• Share best practices in emails to your employees, participate in meetings and trainings on preventing cyberattacks, and be visible in your support for security policies.
• Consistent messaging is also crucial; use posters, newsletters, and digital signage to remind employees that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility. Simple messages like "Think Before You Click" are catchy reminders and can significantly reinforce this mindset.

Employee Training and Awareness 

Education is essential to keeping employees informed about the latest cybersecurity threats and best practices. 

• A training program ideally happens regularly throughout any given year, with annual in-person sessions and quarterly refresher courses on key topics like phishing, password management, and safe internet practices. These can be simple to implement and take minutes to complete.
• Incorporating real-world examples can effectively illustrate the consequences of poor security practices.
• Additionally, implement regular phishing simulations to test and improve employee awareness. This can include pre-planned, simulated email messages to your employees that are designed to train them to identify what a phishing email may look like and recognize the signs of a message that should be deleted right away.
• Provide immediate feedback and additional training for those who fall for simulated attacks, ensuring continuous improvement in security awareness.
• Some email hosting services provide built-in simulators, and the InfoSec Institute has a good list to start with here.

Access Control and Monitoring 

Controlling access to sensitive information is critical for preventing unauthorized data access by threat actors. 

• To ensure proper management, implement the principle of least privilege, which means granting employees the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job functions. For example, not giving all employees manager or administrator access.
• Regularly review and adjust access levels to ensure they remain appropriate as roles, responsibilities and team structures change. Whether you’re a team of five, ten, hundreds or thousands, ensuring your business operates with varying levels of information access is a best practice.
• For additional security, monitoring software can track employee activity on your company computers and network system. Such tools can monitor login attempts, file access, and data transfers to provide insight into how employees interact with sensitive information. By analyzing patterns and behaviors, these tools can help identify unusual activities that may indicate a security breach, such as unauthorized access attempts or data exfiltration.

Physical Security Measures 

No matter how secure digital information may be, it won’t be fully protected without physical security measures in place. 

• Educate employees on the importance of securing devices, such as not leaving laptops unattended in public places or visible in cars.
• Encourage employees to lock their screens when not in use.
• Ensure that data encryption is in place on workstations in case of loss or theft.
• Further, use access control systems like key card door locks or biometric scanners to restrict entry to sensitive areas, and install surveillance cameras to monitor activities. Learn more about different the types of physical security measures at CISA.gov. 

Building a culture of security is an ongoing process that requires commitment from every level of your business. By prioritizing leadership and communication, employee training and awareness, access control and monitoring, and physical security measures, your organization can foster a security-first mindset. This proactive approach not only protects your business from cyber threats but also empowers employees to take an active role in maintaining a secure environment. Remember, cybersecurity is not just an IT issue—it's a business imperative that demands continuous attention and dedication from everyone.

The Banking Team at Eastern Bank can help you understand a range of ways to strengthen your business cybersecurity practices and build a culture of security. Contact us to learn more. 

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Eastern Bankshares, Inc., Eastern Bank, or any affiliated entities. Views and opinions expressed are current as of the date appearing on this material; all views and opinions herein are subject to change without notice. These views and opinions should not be construed as any specific recommendation. This material is for your private information and we are not soliciting any action based on it. The information in this content has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is neither representation nor warranty as to the accuracy of, nor liability for any decisions made based on such information.

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