(April 26, 2024) –If you have ever seen a prairie dog town, there are sentries posted throughout. Their job is to bark if they see danger. This puts the town on alert and helps protect the collective. What does this have to do with cyber security? Some people are better at spotting adversaries than others. By leveraging them, you can help protect your company overall.
The reality is for companies under 500 employees, one in four phishing emails will be responded to, but only 2 percent will be reported. The trick is to get those who spot the phishing attempt to share it with those who do not. Teaching staff to speak up when they see a phishing attempt will cause others to be more alert when checking their email. It promotes a safety culture of awareness, where everyone is open to asking questions related to these types of attacks, in short, a Prairie Dog Culture.
If you have an internal message board, chat (via Teams, for example) or similar tool, have people post what they see and explain how they spotted it or ask for feedback if they’re unsure. If you have a weekly meeting, take turns bringing a real-life example and sharing or simply make it a habit to share via email. Once you create this kind of culture, this will not be a problem; everyone will be on the lookout.
--Justin Dempsey, Nex-Tech Technology Services Manager