Your cyber security strategy probably includes some information about phishing. Maybe you even mention it at your orientation and provide a guide for what to do in the case that an employee spots a phishing email.

But there’s so much more you could be doing to prevent this type of attack on your data and systems. Here are four innovative ideas for improving identification and response to phishing emails:

Start With Training

Phishing is one of the most common ways in which every level of employee is involved with your cyber security strategy. They hold significant responsibility in recognizing phishing emails and proactively filtering their email accounts to notice a phishing attempt before they click on an email.

You can train your employees to watch for urgent language that plays on their emotions. They may see information suggesting they will miss out on an opportunity or a threat implying they will cause a problem for a superior if they don’t engage with the email. Recognizing these types of language patterns can help your team avoid falling prey to a scam.

Gamify Phishing Identification

Don’t just teach employees how to identify phishing. Sharing responsibility for your company’s security can become an important part of your company culture with the right strategies. You can run phishing identification contests where you test employees with false phishing attempts and see how successful they are at identifying and reporting those emails.

Even when the testing period has been completed, you can continue to encourage phishing identification with the right approach. Consider placing the name of every employee that reports a phishing attempt into a quarterly drawing for a sizable prize. You’ll get your employees’ attention and help your team take ownership over security.

Make Reporting Easy

If your company requires employees to send a copy of the email to IT with a “is this phishing?” message attached, you are likely to fall prey to a phishing attack. The companies most effective at cyber security remove any unnecessary barriers. Embed a button into your email system that allows employees to identify an email as a potential phishing attempt with a single click.

Set Clear Policies

This topic covers everything from password policies, multi-factor authentication, and steps for securing an “urgent” payment. Clarifying for employees under what circumstances you might request an urgent payment and what they can do to verify its validity should all be set out in clear company policy.

Any request for sensitive information should be covered in a policy that requires a different medium for sharing. For instance, a policy that requires log-in credentials for a financial resource to be only shared via a specific messaging tool in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution would prevent a mistake in sharing these credentials over email.

In order to avoid becoming the victim of a phishing attempt, you need a technology partner equipped with the right solutions and strategies. Contact us at Independent Connections to learn more about shoring up your cyber security plan with smart phishing prevention steps.