Human Error Is the #1 Cyber Threat—Here’s How to Eliminate It

The human element is the weakest link in many organizations’ cybersecurity efforts. Discover how cybersecurity training can fortify your first line of defense.

Are you investing in employee cybersecurity training? 

Threats are evolving rapidly. Phishing attacks alone rose by 42% in 2024, according to the World Economic Forum. And Crowdstrike, a security intelligence firm, says that vishing (voice phishing) skyrocketed 442% in the same period. 

The human element is increasingly becoming adversaries’ target of choice, which means an untrained workforce could be the weakest link in your company’s defense. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Read on to discover how cybersecurity training could help turn your team from a liability to an asset.

Why Is Employee Cybersecurity Training Crucial?

Attacks targeting the human element are increasing—and they’ve become more sophisticated as adversaries leverage generative artificial intelligence (gen AI), large language models (LLMs), and other advanced technologies to deploy tailored social engineering attacks on a larger scale. The rise of remote and hybrid work has only exacerbated the issue by broadening the attack surface. 

Today, you have to worry about: 

• Generic phishing.
• Ransomware attacks.
• Business Email Compromise (BEC).
• Vishing.
• Other advanced social engineering techniques that leverage AI and deepfake technology.

The business impact of an attack can be catastrophic. In dollar terms, you could spend as much as $4.88 million remediating one. And that’s not accounting for the cost to your reputation, which is harder to quantify. 

Proactive employee cybersecurity training helps minimize the risk that employees will fall for modern social engineering scams, thereby protecting your company data, customer data, and your bottom line.

What Are the Common Forms of Social Engineering?

Phishing

This is one of the oldest tricks adversaries use and takes different forms, including:

• Email phishing.
• Text/SMS phishing (smishing).
• Voice phishing (vishing).
• Spear phishing.

In standard phishing, adversaries attempt to get your employees to click on a malicious link sent via email, which installs malware on the company’s systems. 

The email can sometimes be a pretext for a vishing campaign, where the adversary later calls the target user or prompts them to initiate a phone interaction. 

They then persuade their victims to enter account login details on phishing pages, establish remote support sessions, download malicious attachments, or perform some other function. 

Smishing sees hackers similarly impersonate managers or executives via text messages, making fake urgent requests to unsuspecting employees. 

Spear phishing is more targeted. Adversaries conduct extensive research on a target—often a high-ranking individual, such as a C-suite executive—then use that knowledge to create exceptionally tailored and seemingly legitimate emails and requests. The goal is typically to perpetrate financial fraud, commit identity theft, or steal confidential data to sell to interested parties on the dark web.

Deepfakes and Synthetic Identity Fraud

AI-powered deepfakes are becoming more prevalent in social engineering. You’ve likely heard about the 2024 incident where unknown adversaries used public footage of company employees, including the chief financial officer (CFO), to create deepfake videos and facilitate a fraudulent $25.6 million transfer. 

Here’s how the scam unfolded:

• A Hong Kong-based employee received a message purportedly from the company’s UK-based CFO requesting a financial transaction. Though initially suspicious, the employee’s doubts were alleviated after a video call.
• During the call, the employee interacted with what appeared to be the CFO and other colleagues. All except the victim were deepfake recreations, crafted using publicly available video and audio to mimic appearances, voices, and mannerisms.
• Convinced by the realism of the deepfakes, the employee authorized 15 transfers totaling HK$200 million ($25.6 million) to five bank accounts.

Could any of your employees have fallen for this scam? 

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

In a BEC attack, adversaries typically compromise a legitimate business email account through hacking or social engineering, then transfer funds or initiate a seemingly legitimate request for funds from that account, depending on its privileges. 

A BEC could also involve requests for employees’ information as part of a broader compromise scheme. 

BEC is prevalent in all 50 states and has become a $55 billion industry, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), making it highly lucrative for adversaries – and worth training employees to be aware of.

Addressing Phishing and Social Engineering: Best Practices

Do your employees know how to avoid clicking on unknown links and to verify email addresses to ensure they are opening or reading from a legitimate source? That’s a good starting point. But you need to do more with your strategy. 

Consider these tactics:

• Implement multi-factor authentication as an additional verification layer beyond username and password for all accounts.
• Use a password management solution to ensure employees create and safely store strong passwords.
• Regularly update your team about the latest phishing techniques.
• Conduct simulated attacks to gauge and improve employees’ cyber readiness.
• Implementing company-wide cybersecurity policies for reporting suspicious emails or texts.

Tailgating and Physical Security

Beyond managing digital threats, you should also maintain physical security. Adversaries frequently employ a tactic called tailgating, where they follow closely behind an employee to gain access to a restricted area, such as an office or data center. 

The idea is typically to exploit the authorized users’ trust or inattentiveness to enter your premises without proper credentials.

The best approach to tightening physical security is by implementing keycards, biometrics, and CCTV cameras to monitor and control access. You should still emphasize that employees be extra vigilant of strangers who may be trying to social engineer a way in, however.

Actionable Steps for Enhancing Cybersecurity Culture

1. Create a culture where security is every person’s responsibility. Employees are more likely to take cybersecurity initiatives seriously when leadership actively supports and participates in them.
2. Communicate the importance of cybersecurity and illustrate the potential consequences of security breaches using real-world examples.
3. Embed cybersecurity training as part of onboarding and have regular, interactive, hands-on refresher courses. Consider gamifying the experience with quizzes, leaderboards, an ambassador program, and rewards to make learning more enjoyable and engaging.
4. Offer incentives, such as certificates, badges, or small prizes, for completing training modules or demonstrating good cybersecurity practices.
5. Conduct phishing simulations at least quarterly to ensure your team is staying vigilant.

Next Steps

Need cybersecurity help? 

Reach out to Attentus Technologies. We’ll help you assess your business’s security risks, schedule an employee training session, and start building a strong cybersecurity culture today.

With over 20 years of experience securing our clients’ most valuable assets, we’ve built a reputation for trust and reliability—reflected in our 10-year average client retention rate and a 98.4% customer satisfaction score. At Attentus, you only pay for what you need, and our team is guided by our core value: Be the Answer. That means we’re committed to delivering the right solutions, right when you need them.

Let us help you take the next step toward a safer, smarter digital future.