Everything you need to know about Human Firewall

Organizations can’t build a robust security system by using the best software or hardware only. There is also a human defense element in every security strategy. A human firewall can help you in protecting your business from attackers. Cyber attacks are rising again. Thus, organizations need to be more vigilant with their data protection and cybersecurity policies.

A human firewall will help you in strengthening your security strategy. Your employees will know about various types of cyberattacks. This will ensure that your employees can protect your business from these attacks. You can avoid costly mistakes which are caused by human errors. The human firewall will help you in adding another layer of IT security protection for your business. Your employees should be ready to deal with any type of cyberattack. In this article, we are going to discuss the Human firewall.

What is a Human Firewall?

Human firewalls are your employees who are following best security practices for preventing data breaches. They will also report any suspicious activity in your business.

Most security breaches happen due to employee or human error. According to a report from the Ponemon Institute, more than 25% of successful hacking attempts are caused by simple mistakes. The software can also make these mistakes sometime. However, mostly these mistakes are made by your employees because they are not following the best security practices.

The human firewall will help you in adding an additional layer of defense against cyber attacks. A regular firewall will help you in blocking malicious traffic from your network. The human firewall will help you in securing your entire network. If you are working on empowering your employees on cyber security, then it will help you in boosting other firewalls also. Your employees should know how to protect their systems from attackers.

Why Human Firewall is important?

You need to make your employees aware of the cyber attack. This will ensure that your employees can protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Your human firewall will have these responsibilities:

• They need to follow and learn basic IT security practices.
• Focus on creating cybersecurity awareness among their colleagues.
• They should protect your business from threats like phishing and social engineering.
• Identify data threats and focus on controlling them.

A human firewall will help you in protecting from various common cyber threats. Some of these threats are:

1. Phishing emails

According to a report from the Phishing Box, more than 36% of cyber attacks include phishing. Phishing emails will look legit to a normal person. Your employees might think that they are coming from a reputable person or company. These emails are generally so convincing that your employees can fall victim to them.

If your employees know about the common phishing emails, then it can help you in reducing the damage of these attacks. Emails stating that your FB or Google account is disabled should be ignored. Spear phishing is also becoming more popular with time. Attackers are always thinking about creative ideas that they can apply to make these attacks more legitimate. They use personal information for convincing employees. These attacks are targeted in nature and are considered very dangerous. Your employees should know that these different attacks exist. They should also know about how they can detect signs of phishing attacks.

2. Loss or Theft

Your network can also become vulnerable through the loss or theft of your devices. Most companies have switched towards work from home. Thus, most people are using their personal devices for doing their company work. They don’t have any anti-theft protection in these devices. Your employees might not use proper security solutions before accessing your data.

Employees’ personal devices should also be protected as they might contain personal information related to your business. Make sure that your emails or other data in these devices can’t be accessed without a fingerprint. You can also enable facial recognition security features for protecting your user devices.

3. Malware

Your employees might end up installing malware in their systems. This generally happens when they are browsing a compromised site. Websites that you are regularly visiting are hacked. Thus, your systems can also get hacked if you visit these sites.

Attackers generally try to install their malware through popup ads. Make sure that your employees know about malware. They should know how this malware is installed and how they work. This will help you in securing your network from attackers. Well-trained employees will know about malware when they are browsing the internet. Thus, they will take steps for avoiding malware attacks.

4. Phone Scams

Attackers are also using phone scams for hacking employees. They will impersonate as tech support team or customer support. For example, they might call your employee and tell them that they are from the tech support team and want to do a remote update on their machine.

If your employees are not careful, then they might end up giving passwords to attackers. Attackers will get access to your organization’s viral systems and documents. A human firewall will know about these phone scams. They will ensure that they are not sharing sensitive data over a phone call.

How your employees can become a human firewall? 

Some large corporations spend millions of dollars on cyber attack prevention tools. However, they forget about their employees. According to a report from Forbes, more than 95% of attacks will contain some human element. Attackers can’t access your system until your employees do some mistake. If your team is not educated, then money and investment in the latest tools won’t help you.

Organizations should focus on creating a strong human firewall first. This will act as the first line of defense against cyber attacks. You should first understand the weakness of your business. Your organization might have experienced a security breach in past. This can help you in improving your security strategy. Past events will help you in creating an effective security policy. This will strengthen your human firewall.

How to strengthen your Human Firewall?

1. Train your employees

Education will help you in building a human firewall. You should start by bringing all your employees on board. Make sure that they know about all the ways for protecting your organization’s security system. Ongoing training related to best security practices and threats will help ensure that your employees will avoid these threats.

You should ensure that your employees are on the same page when it comes to best IT security practices. Make sure that you are regularly conducting these training programs. Training is always an ongoing process. You can’t provide one-time training to your employees as the threat landscape is always evolving with time.

2. Multi-factor authentication

2-Factor Authentication or Multi-factor authentication has become very popular. It is the best way to protect your business from weak passwords. This security control will help you in strengthening your human firewall. It will also add another layer of cyber security.

MFA will ensure that individuals need to provide two things before they can access their accounts. They can’t access their account by just typing in the password. The passwords can be easily compromised. They need to provide a one-time password or an OTP for accessing their accounts. This will ensure that attackers can’t access your employee accounts even when they have access to their passwords. MFA is currently one of the best security practices. However, it is not completely foolproof. Attackers can still hack your employee device and gain access to their accounts.

3. Devices

Employees love the new remote working and work from home policies. Thus, they will generally use their personal devices for doing your work. These personal devices will be susceptible to cyber-attacks and malware.

You should ensure that the right security measures are installed on these devices before your employees can access your information or data. Organizations can issue their own devices for solving this problem. These devices will automatically come with the necessary security tools and software. This will ensure that your employees are using secure devices for accessing your network and devices. You can also install and manage these security tools remotely from a centralized location. This will help you in increasing the safety of your devices.

4. Include everyone

Some companies train only their IT employees. You can’t exclude your team members even if they are not handling any IT duties. Every team member will have access to some of your business data. Thus, they can be targeted by attackers. Everyone in your business should know about the best IT security practices. This will help you in protecting your business from attackers.

5. Keep your employees informed

Your employees should know about the latest threats. They should know how they can protect themselves from the latest threats. Employees should know about the latest IT security risks. They should also understand the dangers of clicking on unknown links. If your employees know about these things, then they won’t open unknown links or attachments.

You should ensure that your business is not limited to regular security newsletters and updates only. Your employees should be encouraged to alert your IT team about security threats. You can have a dedicated reporting system or slack channel for these security threats. This will ensure that your employees can easily report these threats.

6. Give the right tools to your human firewall

Only security training won’t help you in protecting your business from cyber-attacks. You should also provide the right equipment and tools to your employees. This will ensure that they can properly prevent cyber threats. For example, you should create an official reporting protocol for your employees. Your employees should flag cyber incidents by following this protocol. An automatic alert system will also help you in empowering your employees.

7. Conduct phishing tests

You should also conduct phishing tests for engaging your employees. Phishing tests will help you in checking the awareness of your employees. If your employees can detect phishing attempts, then your business is safe and secure. These tests will help you in checking if your employees can protect themselves from these types of attacks. There are various tools available on the internet that you can use for conducting these tests.

8. Monitor progress

You should ensure that your employees are always alert. Your employees need to be constantly vigilant as a data breach can happen at any time. The best way to monitor progress is by conducting phishing tests. This will help you in monitoring the progress of your employees. Make sure that you are not punishing the employees that are falling for the fake phishing emails. Try to provide more training to them. This is a simple way to improve your security training program.

Conclusion

A human firewall will help you in protecting your network from attackers. You should ensure that your employees have the skills and knowledge needed to protect your data and systems from attackers. They should use this knowledge for preventing cyber-attacks in their business. A human firewall will help you in adding another layer of cyber defense. This will ensure that you can protect your business from attackers. If you have a human firewall and good security solutions, then no one can attack your organization. Your human firewall will help you in identifying threats. They will also help your IT team in preventing data breaches.

The best way to improve your cyber security posture is by working with a good MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire will help you in creating a unique IT security strategy for your business. This will ensure that your business is protected from known IT security vulnerabilities. They will also help you in training your employees. Bleuwire will ensure that your employees know about the best IT security practices. They will also tell them about the latest security threats. This will ensure that your employees can protect your business from threats. If you need more information regarding IT security services, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.