Importance of Cyber Security Awareness in Educational System

The way in which the world has digitised is commendable. But, with the boon came a curse as well. We currently are working, communicating, conducting e-commerce, interacting online which has led us to build more faith on the cyber security services provided by the country. Cybercrime has vastly grown worldwide. Every other day in the news there are headlines flashing news about victims of cyber-crime. The criminals behind this have boundlessly wreaked havoc in our lives and business. The more technology we use the more access we give them to create disturbance. They are capable of doing unrecoverable damage to business and even personal life. Multinational companies have come on their knees, says Ron who is currently pursuing his cyber security courses online.

The growth of cybercrime

According to Accenture’s Ninth Annual Cost of Cybercrime Study, the cost of it had averaged to $11.7 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018, which shows a rise of 12%, and an increase of 72% in the past five years. The first step to fight against this nuisance is by creating awareness among the general mass to prevent a victim of these troublemakers. Involving cyber security awareness in the educational system is a must do.

Do you know what Cyber Security Awareness means?

The world has digitised but humans are still lagging behind in the race of digital security systems. People still become the victim of cybercriminals even today. Giving up password, bank details account numbers to anybody pretending to be an employee of the bank. This is more prevalent among the older generation and aged people are the most easily fooled in recent times.

         To prohibit this situation from recurrence, enlightening employees on the various risks posed by cybercrime. In offices and company’s there should be a separate structure who looks forward to only safeguarding the company assets. The employees must be given proper awareness lessons before partaking in the job in the company. The potential vulnerability can be met by cybersecurity offices if proper knowledge can be imparted to the local mass so then can remain cautious themselves.

Pros of Cyber Security Awareness Training

In this growing technical background of the world, improvising the cybercrime awareness in the curriculum of the educational system is the biggest remedy. Cyber criminals are not different from us. Students in secondary school and colleges are more open to these kinds of knowledge and can help provide better insight.

•       Schools and colleges should hire a professional and conduct seminars to enlighten students and spread awareness.
•       Maybe even add it as a part of the computer application subject in the curriculum. instead of only teaching computer viruses, maybe including cybercrime and cybersecurity as well. At least some knowledge is better than nothing at all.

 Not only the education system, but also the office and other private sectors can spread awareness on this subject.

•       Firstly, every company and business should hire one employee whose main concern is to protect the company from hackers and imposters.
•       If you can decrease the risk of becoming a victim directly you can save yourself from running at a loss.
•       Do not train only one employee, make sure to generalize the importance so that an employee leaving your firm does not bring an immediate downfall of your cyber security group.

Best Practices in Security Awareness

Only bookish knowledge being served will only help the students fetch marks after which they will forget why they even studied all of it in the first place. Best way of imparting not only education but also making them aware of the seriousness of the issue is important. So, visual evidence, experiences and research will aid this issue.

Much of cyber security can be broken down into seven main topics: 

•       Data breaches
•       Secure passwords
•       Malware
•       Privacy
•       Safe computing
•       Mobile protection
•       Online scams

The most commonly referenced security awareness best practices include:

Getting into compliance – different colleges and schools offer different kinds of information. The information takes about rules and regulations and laws set by the government. Ignorance of these rules and laws should be punishable and that knowledge must sink in among everyone.

Including everyone, even school authority – It’s all or nothing. Even if one person is left out from these programs it might pose a threat. Not only students educating the authority and teachers is also necessary so that they can capably impart detailed knowledge on this subject. Anyone who isn’t aware breaks the chain and becomes a potential victim of the cybercriminal.

The basic education – Basic knowledge to be imparted through various modes of education should include anti-phishing tactics, password security, physical security, social engineering, clearly communicating your security awareness program, making the training engaging and even entertaining, reinforcing important messages with reviews and repetition, creating an environment of reinforcement and motivation, promoting a constant vigilance and learning by creating a security culture that runs through every organizational level, down the entire chain of command.

Just as I do my programming homework you must do your homework too about the growth of cybercrime in the world only then you can take a step against it. While it’s not necessary to continually harp on the subject with employees and end-users, cyber security should be a very relevant, everyday topic of discussion.

How Can I Get My Start in Cyber Security Awareness Training?

To start with, there are various courses on cybercrime. Do your If you are home schooling or if you want to do an additional course you can opt for network defender courses (CND), Certified Ethical Hacking Course (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Certification Course (CHFI), CISSP Certification Course, CISM Certification Training, COBIT Certification Training Course, the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC). These above courses will touch the various things you must learn about cybercrime. You can also give exams with online exam help and test your merit. These courses also offer training if you aspire to become a part of a company’s cybercrime team, which will teach you to create enterprise security architecture as well. The CompTIA Security+ Certification SY0-501 Exam Training covers the necessary principles for network security and risk management and is essential for any aspiring IT security administrator.

To conclude here

As the importance of cyber security awareness training in organizations continues to grow exponentially, so does the demand for more professionals to fill these vacancies. Learn more in this field and help the world become free of cybercriminals. Now’s the time to make your move and save yourself from cybercrime.