Spam and Phishing Education Goldmine

Well I’m back on my “the best email user is an educated email user” soap box. Like it or not, the best tool email administrators can arm staff against spam, phishing and information security threats is through education. OnGuard Online provides a platform for administrators to create some awesome cyber security educational programs.

OnGuard Online provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.  Funding from many partners has allowed OnGuard Online to develop educational cyber security videos, tutorials, games and other tools.  Some partnering organizations include the Internal Revenue Service, NCIS, the Federal Trade Commission, Homeland Security and the Security and Exchange Commission. Even non-profit companies, like Latinos in Information Sciences & Technology Association  (LISTA), are partners with OnGuard Online.

The target audience for these free educational products is the everyday email, computer and Internet user. There are phishy videos. Then there are games with names like “Invasion of the Wireless Hackers” and “Spam Scam Slam“. Let’s not forget “ID Theft Face Off“. Now these are educational video games for all ages.

Before you get happy and think about just simply passing on the OnGuard web site link to your email users, STOP.  A savvy email administrator can see more potential in this web site. Piece mealing the various educational aspects of this website with email users will provide more continuous education mileage.  Consider including your human resource department training resources.  Their experience will be helpful in developing training outlines and organizing topics.

Suggestions for implementing a company cyber security education program:

• Set up an area within the internal employee web site. Using the html code ONGuard allows you to copy for each tool, put up a new video every week with staff.

• Create a one page weekly email newsletter. Add a few questions and answers from the different OnGuard cyber security games.

• Do a lunch and learn by showing a couple of OnGuard videos in a conference room. Then have a question and answer session. Maybe human resources could be persuaded to fund the lunches. More people attend optional meetings faster when free food is served.

• Set up a couple of computers in the break room. Encourage employees taking a break to view a couple of the OnGuard cyber security tutorials or play a game. I find these games fun, entertaining and, oh yes, educational too.

There are so many resources on the OnGuard site; you could easily run cyber security education programs for 3-6 months. How will you know if these programs work? Monitor your helpdesk requests. Questions and issues related to spam, phishing, ID theft attempts and other security threats should go down.

Now isn’t this a great way to protect company and personal information assets?