Role-based security training 101: What you need to know

When you are considering security training for your organization, you might be wondering if you need to consider role-based security training.

So, what exactly is role-based security training? It’s something that can help limit the risk of cyber-attacks, phishing scams and hacking based on each person’s role in the company.

The fact is, each person in your organization has a different role, diverse tasks and training – so role-based security training makes sense in that each person is at a different risk level due to their abilities, skills and responsibilities.

Did you know that hackers often tailor their attacks on someone’s job or responsibilities? It’s true. They do it to gain trust, access different kinds of information and have a better shot at breaching your security measures.

The good news is, one way to combat that is role-based security training!

Here are some things you need to know.

Types of scams

There are many different types of scams and we’ll just talk about some of the most common ones. Spear-phishing is a pretty common scam where a cyber criminal or hacker sends a message in an attempt to fool or manipulate one of your employees. Usually, these attacks are sent to your executive assistants, HR staff or finance workers. The hackers are looking for financial or other sensitive information.

Your C-suite employees are more vulnerable to business email compromise scams, or “whaling” attacks. These scams are aimed at getting into the email accounts of high-level employees.

Simulated attacks

In role-based security training, employees are educated about the types of scams and then simulated messages are sent out. This is a way to tailor what a typical attack might look like so your employees can learn to avoid them.