Digital Skills Important for Employees

A recent article by Dom NiCastro of CMS Wire pointed out several skills that employees can benefit from having. Cyber Security is one of them that should be reinforced from an HR perspective.

Email Security

It seems each day brings a news story about a database being “compromised” and / or private data being leaked or “hacked”. Employees should be briefed on all security practices and procedures, on an initial and recurrent basis.

In particular, email seems to be a vulnerable point. We consulted with several of our IT/ HR partners and they gave us some sound advice on email and password security.

“It’s more than just long passwords with mixed case, numbers and strange characters.” we are told by Duane Coffey of NetComplete, “It’s not clicking on links in emails from people you don’t know. It’s not falling prey to the latest scam. Any time you are connected to the internet there is a chance someone is trying to steal your data or personal information. Employees should also be careful when in a public internet environment, like when connected to a WiFi in a coffee shop or similar.”

“Recently emails are coming to me, from me, dealing with Microsoft Sharepoint.” Paul Daigle, owner of Partners in VOIP tells us. “I’m used to seeing phishing emails to me, from me, but I’m concerned to see them mentioning a reputable platform. I’ve also seen what look like package tracking emails from FedEx or UPS. I’ve even seen phishing emails that appear to be from DropBox, OneDrive, etc. If you get an email that says ‘invoice attached’ or ‘your payment is attached’ do not click on it! If in doubt, don’t! If you are really worried about it, call the person who sent it and verify it.”

“If you get a LinkedIn request email, always check to see that it is really from a LinkedIn domain, and check the spelling.” Ray Bazzi of Diriga Technologies tells us. “The phony ones are phishing attempts, to take over your LinkedIn account, and to message all of your connections with things you wouldn’t approve of. They may even set up fake meetings for coffee and who knows? They could attempt something criminal with your key connections and / or high level contacts. Make sure you check out every email very carefully before clicking anything!”

Social Media Policies and Procedures

All of the social media platforms have their own security risks, but employees should also be aware of what the company wants them to avoid sharing.

A local data security firm (who for security reasons doesn’t want to be named) told us of a problem. Employees were posting pictures (“selfies” etc) of work locations. The locations were not secure but computer screens were visible in the background. Employees were briefed to make sure their pictures did not include possible security violations. Once they were aware of the risk, the employees were more than happy to comply.

Several restaurants have shared horror stories about post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that showed the establishment in a “bad light.” They secured EmployerNomics to assist them in writing a Social Media Policy section of their Employee Handbooks. Now the employees are instructed as to what they can, and can’t post. This has increased harmony in the workplace.

Also, be warned that many “apps” on social media are dangerous. Things like “Nametests, OMG, LOL” and the like may appear to be entertaining but they are really looking for data to “phish” with. Do not use these apps.

Digital Communication

More and more video conferencing tools are available now, allowing easier and better digital communication. Using video though, brings in new security considerations. Employees should be familiar with the proper use, protocol and procedures.

“We use ZOOM on a daily basis here at the home office.” John Will Tenney of EmployerNomics tells us. “It’s rapidly replacing the conference call for franchise communications. However, as a result of some near breaches of confidential information, we have instituted procedures for sharing screens. For example, we never share log in screens! Still, it’s a fantastic platform for video calls and we highly encourage its use.”

Need Help?

Are your firm’s cyber security policies and procedures up to date? Do you have the latest hardware and software firewall technology? Do your employees know what they should and should not be doing over the internet?

Contact us if you would like to learn more. You may call 407-490-2467 or use the form below
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