Hornetsecurity, a cloud email security specialist, has launched a new cyber training program to better equip employees to “counter cyber-attacks,” the company said.
The company is positioning its Security Awareness Training offering as “simple rather than maintenance-intensive” for customers. The program is centered on needs-based training with each user receiving as much education as is necessary. Among its key features is Hornet’s patented spear phishing engine that simulates sophisticated attacks to help users gain knowledge about those types of infiltrations.
Employee Awareness Emphasized
Progress is measured by an employee security index as a benchmark, which constantly measures and compares an organization’s and employees’ security behavior. The program is available by subscription licensing, as a standalone service, or as an add-on to Hornet’s email security services. Hornet did not disclose pricing for the purchase options.
Hornet’s thinking is that human error is a notable contributor to letting cyberattacks in the door, particularly with spear phishing attacks. Even the best cybersecurity technology still leaves room for human error, which is why, Hornet said, many cybersecurity insurers demand awareness training for their employees.
Hornet said its new training program pays notable attention to the individual's importance in establishing an organization's “human firewall” and stresses the key role every employee and employer plays in corporate cybersecurity ranging from prevention to protection, and response and recovery. It has a particular focus on Microsoft 365.
Commenting on the Security Awareness Training launch, Daniel Hofmann, Hornetsecurity chief executive, said:
"With cyber-attacks on the rise, it's increasingly important for organizations to implement a cybersecurity ecosystem that includes education and robust email security functionality for prevention as well as back up for recovery. Our new offering specifically supports and guards against very human vulnerabilities to phishing and other cyber risks.”
Hornetsecurity Study Supports Approach
Hornet’s training module comes on the heels of its recently released study in which it found that some 20% of all reported ransomware attacks occurred in the past 12 months, with six in 10 springing from phishing expeditions.
The study, which gleaned data from a survey of 2,000 IT professionals, found that many businesses may not be helping themselves by not pushing back hard enough on the hackers, declining the FBI’s advice not to pay ransoms.
According to Hornet’s data, roughly 7% paid the ransom and 14% lost data, proving an incentive for extortionists to attack harder and raise the stakes. Roughly 25% of businesses have been hit by a ransomware attack so far in 2022, a 3% uptick from last year, Hornet said.
In general, organizations victimized by a ransomware freeze lack knowledge on security available to them, the study found. One quarter (25%) of IT professionals either don’t know or don’t think that Microsoft 365 data can be impacted by a ransomware attack.
About 40% of IT professionals that use Microsoft 365 in their organization admitted they do not have a recovery plan in case their Microsoft 365 data was compromised by a ransomware attack.
