How to foster a culture of cybersecurity in your organization

A culture of cybersecurity in an organization stems from recognizing a reality in today's digital landscape: the human factor is often the cause of cybersecurity incidents.

Of all cyber incidents, at least 64% have been caused by human error, according to the Kaspersky report Redefining the Human Factor in Cyber Security. These figures show how the human element is becoming one of the most important vulnerabilities for many organizations.

In a context of an unprecedented increase in cyber-attacks, the maturity of organizations with respect to their cybersecurity culture is highly uneven: on the one hand, 42% of companies already have a specialized training or training team or role; on the other hand, 60% of companies do not include security among their values or it is not explicitly reflected in their policies or practices, according to figures published by PWC.

As attacks such as ransomware, data breaches, or DDoS attacks become increasingly damaging and persistent risks, cybersecurity culture becomes an urgent concern to curb them. In this context, we analyze what exactly it is, its relationship with cybersecurity awareness, and how to apply it effectively.

What is cybersecurity culture?

Cybersecurity culture can be defined as the set of attitudes, policies, behaviors, and knowledge about cybersecurity held by an organization's teams.

The term “culture” is used to mean that this concept refers to shared values, beliefs, and behaviors within the organization. Thus, the starting point is security recommendations and policies, which only become a culture when they permeate the habits and actions of the human teams with regard to cybersecurity.

In this sense, cybersecurity culture is constituted as a people-centered approach that also relies on the following pillars:

• Cybersecurity awareness activities, enabling employees to learn about risks, ways to avoid them, and actions to report them in the event of an incident.
• Daily actions that align employees' work with the IT security strategies implemented. It is about integrating cybersecurity best practices into day-to-day work, beyond isolated and insufficient corrective actions.
• Capacity for monitoring and testing to verify that the cybersecurity culture is being applied correctly.

All this takes into account the characteristics of each organization and the needs of its human teams.

Cybersecurity culture understands the crucial importance of people in an organization in two senses: without proper training and awareness, the human factor is a potential weak link in the face of cyber risks; conversely, effective cybersecurity training and awareness make human teams a valuable resource as a cybersecurity shield.

Why is it important?

Today's digital landscape is extremely volatile, with increasingly sophisticated threats looming over organizations. Added to this concern are movements like the trend toward teleworking, which transforms the threat landscape organizations face. With teleworking, the attack surface and its characteristics change, introducing new risk profiles and increasing the importance of individual responsibility within the organization.

In short, as risks evolve, profound transformations are required in how organizations' human teams act and protect themselves.

Challenges

Lack of cybersecurity awareness in executive positions can translate into a lack of resources to foster this culture, generating a vicious circle with respect to the organization's inability to protect itself adequately.

Moreover, the lack of cybersecurity awareness can cause reluctance or resistance to change when implementing the profound transformations that cybersecurity culture entails in the daily work of human teams.

Experienced and skilled cybersecurity experts must lead the change and support the organization every step of the way.

Benefits of cybersecurity culture

• Human teams transition from a weak link to a real shield against cybersecurity risks, which are significantly mitigated and reduced.
• Cyber resilience is strengthened at the organizational level.
• The improved cybersecurity posture also provides greater compliance with applicable legislation, including data protection.

How to promote cybersecurity awareness in your company?

• Cybersecurity culture must become a priority aligned with business strategy. Thus, collaboration between senior management and cybersecurity managers should be reflected in aspects such as resource allocation or decision-making.
• It is crucial to recognize that effective practices in cybersecurity from leadership positions can catalyze positive change, setting an example for the rest of the organization.
• Developing a cybersecurity culture takes time and effort, and “focusing on the human” also means addressing specific challenges and behaviors within the organization beyond basic awareness initiatives. Gamification strategies, including simulators or interactive learning initiatives, can make training more engaging and effective.
• Having trained security managers is essential to generate awareness of the real risks in the current landscape. Training should align with the organization’s objectives and cover various aspects: from advanced knowledge of protection strategies to awareness of the economic, legal, and reputational impacts of a cyber incident.
• Cybersecurity culture is an ongoing effort that must be implemented gradually. The right strategy should prioritize urgent actions and avoid overwhelming teams with constant changes.

Applying cybersecurity culture in the context of IT security strategies

Cybersecurity culture is fundamental for organizations aiming to make their cybersecurity posture truly robust.

At S2 Grupo, we have developed protocols as part of our program to build cybersecurity culture in organizations, tailored to each project’s unique needs.

As part of our advanced cybersecurity solutions, we have designed ProtectIT, a strategy to promote cybersecurity awareness in a 100% customized way.

Combining face-to-face and practical actions in the short, medium, and long term, we partner with organizations to effectively strengthen their cybersecurity culture. The ProtectIT method starts with an analysis of the organization’s security culture, then identifies areas for improvement, all with the goal of building a real "Human Firewall" for cyber risk management.

With more than 15 years of experience deploying this program, key ProtectIT activities to foster cybersecurity culture have included:

Online, face-to-face, and communication actions:

• Interactive online courses where teams face different risk scenarios and receive tailored training.
• Webinars enabling interaction between employees and cybersecurity experts.
• Dynamic training materials, including infographics, videos, comics, podcasts, blogs, and screensavers.
• Controlled training sessions against social engineering attacks, testing employee responses.
• Workshops, conferences, and events such as Cybersecurity Day and Cybersecurity Week.

Recreational activities or challenges, such as escape rooms simulating real cybersecurity situations or gamified challenges to encourage best practices.

Applications, games, and interactive tools including social engineering simulators, video games, instant learning actions, and gamification elements to foster engagement and reinforce training effectiveness.

Scorecards to measure the effectiveness of awareness actions.

With over 10 years deploying ProtectIT for national and international companies, we have seen proven success in cultivating cybersecurity culture. Our face-to-face sessions have reached over 20 management committees of major companies and more than 10,000 employees, making us a reference for awareness and training initiatives.

Supported by advanced cybersecurity knowledge and highly skilled teams, S2 Grupo is a strong ally for transforming organizational processes.

Want to know more about S2 Grupo and our solution to promote cybersecurity culture? Contact us to find out how we can help you boost cybersecurity awareness in your organization.