A continuing and growing threat, cyber attacks are a terrifying reality for many businesses and individuals the world over, and none more so than in the U.S. In some instances, cybercriminals are finding ways to infiltrate organizations through their own employees, and this could be through something as simple as an employee clicking on a phishing mail.
At this stage, it’s vital that the HR team step in to help communicate with employees about cybersecurity, and how they can protect themselves – and the organization they work for – from becoming a victim of cybercrime. Naturally suited to partnering with IT, HR can help to provide employees with access to basic educational resources, that will help them avoid being the recipient of any kind of cybercrime.
Back up plans created by HR are essential
In some instances, cybercriminals don’t just target the personal information of individual employees, but of the organization itself, and they’re often able to do this by using the personal information they’ve illicitly obtained, to gain access to other secure points that could harm systems outside of the organization, too – a truly frightening prospect. Let’s say, for example, that a cybercriminal stole the login and password of an employee, and used those details to gain access to critical infrastructure or even customer databases, highlighting the need for HR teams to carefully review the vendors and systems they work with every day. If timekeeping software or learning management systems were affected, what kind of an impact would that have on an organization?
Thinking about the possibility of these worst case scenarios can help HR teams to formulate more effective strategic responses to cybercrime, and with the addition of cloud-based systems, HR teams can regularly backup and archive critical information, such as transaction receipts and customer details.
HR can help develop cyber training and contingency plans
To best protect any organization from cybercrime, monitoring and security measures must be put in place by IT teams to prevent and detect breaches, while the HR team can add to these measures with employee training and contingency planning.
While HR teams aren’t typically made up of IT professionals, they are in the perfect position to conduct training sessions on cybersecurity protocols and best practices – with guidance from the IT team – and protect against any breaches of critical data.
In the event of a cyberattack, HR must be responsive to employees
Should a data breach take place, it’s imperative that HR take control of the situation and engage employees appropriately as to the risk, or perceived risk and what steps they will need to take next. Employees may be concerned about their own data and whether it has been compromised, and it should be the role of the HR team to address all internal concerns, along with putting meaningful response measures in place.
Cyberattacks are sadly here to stay, and if employers and their HR teams don’t address them with the appropriate level of training, education and both protective and preventative measures, more businesses could fall prey to cybercriminals.
If you don’t yet have a robust HR team equipped to handle the issues raised by cybercrime, then it might be beneficial to consider outsourcing your needs for convenience and cost effectiveness.