CyberSolv

The need to build a security-aware culture in businesses has never been higher. Unintentional threats from insiders, whether through negligence or accident, can wreak havoc on an organization – and bad actors are getting smarter at psychologically manipulating these unsuspecting individuals. 

By 2025, Gartner predicts that human failure or the lack of cybersecurity talent in the workforce will be responsible for more than half of all “significant cyber incidents.”

Social engineering exploits human behavior – and these bad actors are good at targeting people’s desire to be helpful and our tendency to trust. Many of these attackers have learned how to be persuasive and easy to like, targeting our emotions to extract sensitive information – a move that bypasses any need for ‘traditional’ hacking.

Building a cybersecurity culture is a major first step in helping your customers combat social engineering. A Gartner study of 1,310 employees indicated that 69% have side-stepped their organization’s cybersecurity guidance in the last 12 months, and that 74% revealed “they would be willing to bypass cybersecurity guidance if it helped them or their team achieve a business objective.” These numbers make it clear that we not only need to guide customers on the best technical solutions to implement at their organization, but we also need to help them understand why they need that security technology in the first place.

So, how can you help your customers stay vigilant? Fortinet suggests three key areas of focus:

1. Safe Communication and Account Management Habits, including using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.

2. Safe Network Use Habits, including restricting your primary Wi-Fi network and using a virtual private network (VPN) to stay protected online.

3. Safe Device Use Habits, including keeping software up to date and never leaving devices unsecured in public spaces.

The TD SYNNEX CyberSolv team is committed to helping you protect your customers’ critical business systems. For more information on best practices and secure networking solutions, reach out to us at CyberSolv@tdsynnex.com.