The Ultimate Vishing Guide for Business, Part 2: Fortifying Your Front-line

In Part 1 of our Ultimate Vishing Guide for Business, we delved into the intricate world of vishing, exploring its anatomy, the technological advancements propelling it, and its direct and indirect impacts on businesses. In Part 2, we address employees, and provide a roadmap to fortify your human assets against vishing.

In this guide, we will discuss:

• The Human Element in Vishing Defense
• Employee Education Through Comprehensive Training Programs
• Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity
• Measuring the Impact of Training: A Crucial Step in Ensuring Vishing Defense Efficacy

The Human Element In Vishing Defense   

Employees, often a company's most valuable asset, can inadvertently become a conduit for vishing attacks which exploit psychological triggers such as fear and urgency. Social engineering is at the root of vishing, and is an ever-growing threat.  A common manifestation of this is the widespread tech support scam, where vishers pose as tech support agents and coax employees into providing access to their computers.

Business imposters — including vishing attacks — are on the rise for businesses. In 2020, losses were reported at $196 million. The next year: $453 million. And this number soared to $660 million in 2022. What’s next?

A successful vishing attack doesn’t merely impact the targeted individual; it can set off a domino effect, leading to further internal scams, data breaches, and financial fraud. Moreover, the emotional and psychological toll on employees, such as feelings of guilt and anxiety, can permeate their performance for some time after. This, coupled with potential hesitancy to report vishing incidents due to an unsupportive organizational culture, allows scammers to continue, often unseen.

Furthermore, as organizations lose trust and reputation, stakeholders may question the company’s capability to safeguard data, and employees may face morale issues.

But there is a way to transform this potential vulnerability into a fortress of vishing defense: strategic employee education, training, and fostering a supportive cybersecurity culture.

Employee Education Through Comprehensive Training Programs

So, employee education is critical, but how does one build a comprehensive training program?

Developing a comprehensive employee training and education program against vishing involves a multi-faceted approach.

Begin by instilling a foundation of understanding how vishing works, and making sure that employees can identify various tactics.

The training should be immersive, providing a realistic representation of the vishing threats that employees might encounter.

One effective approach is to conduct simulated vishing attacks that mirror real-world scenarios, providing employees with hands-on experience. This involves creating controlled vishing attempts on your employees to gauge their response and identify areas that may require additional training. For instance, a simulated call might be made to a customer service representative, attempting to extract sensitive customer data under the guise of a routine verification call. Post-simulation, a thorough debriefing should be conducted to discuss the employee's responses, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

In addition to simulations, interactive training modules can be developed, utilizing real-world vishing scenarios to test and enhance employees’ response capabilities. These modules should be designed to mimic actual vishing attempts as closely as possible, providing employees with a safe environment in which to practice their response strategies. For example, a module might present an employee with a scenario where they receive a call from a person claiming to be a senior executive, requesting urgent access to sensitive data. The employee’s responses could then be analyzed to provide targeted feedback and additional training as required.

Role-playing can also be an invaluable tool in vishing training. Engaging employees in role-playing scenarios where they alternate between playing the role of the visher and the employee can provide insights into the tactics used by vishers and enhance their ability to identify and respond to vishing attempts. This could be particularly useful in training customer-facing roles, such as customer service representatives and sales teams, who are often the primary targets for vishing attacks.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to establish a clear reporting protocol for employees to follow in the event of a suspected vishing attempt. (The requires, of course, that a company has or establishes clear response protocols.) Reporting ensures that any potential threats are promptly identified and addressed, minimizing the risk to the organization. It also provides valuable data that can be used to enhance training programs and improve the organization’s overall vishing defense strategy.

While you’re updating procedures, make sure to equip employees with actionable steps and checklists for handling suspected vishing attempts, and foster an environment that encourages feedback and continuous improvement of the training program.

In addition to an initial push, implement continuous learning. The best programs are dynamic, adapting to the evolving vishing threat landscape and incorporating regular updates. They (or your team) should utilize real-world examples of vishing attacks.

Moreover, not only should training be continuous, but the programs should be continuously updated to stay abreast of emerging vishing tactics.

With such difficult legal and compliance issues around data, it’s critical that a training program informs employees of the legal and compliance aspects of data protection and customer privacy. This has the added benefit of reinforcing the importance of adhering to protocols to safeguard sensitive information.

Finally, leverage technological solutions that can assist in identifying and mitigating vishing threats. Companies such as YouMailPS, for example, can dramatically reduce the risk of vishing (voice phishing).

This holistic approach, combining knowledge, practical skills, and technology, will fortify your frontline, safeguarding both your employees and your organization against the perils of vishing.

Creating A Culture Of Cybersecurity

In addition to training, a culture that rewards cybersecurity vigilance and encourages sharing insights enhances organizational resilience.

Embedding a culture of cybersecurity within an organization goes beyond mere protocols. It's about fostering an environment where cybersecurity is not seen as a standalone concept, but as a crucial element of the business.

In the context of vishing, a cybersecurity culture means that every employee, from the top-down, is vigilant and proactive in identifying and responding to potential threats.

One strategy to instill this culture is to establish cybersecurity champions within each department. These individuals can be tasked with keeping abreast of the latest cybersecurity threats and best practices and disseminating this information within their respective departments. They can also act as a point of contact for any cybersecurity concerns or incidents within their department, ensuring a swift and coordinated response.

Moreover, regular communication from leadership regarding the importance of cybersecurity is pivotal. This might involve sharing updates on any new threats within the industry, or simply reinforcing your organization’s commitment to safeguarding its data.

Additionally, recognizing and rewarding employees who demonstrate exemplary cybersecurity practices can also be effective. This might involve acknowledging individuals who successfully identify vishing attempts or who consistently demonstrate best practices in safeguarding data.

This culture, along with training programs and technology, becomes an important shield, with every employee playing a vital role in safeguarding the organization against vishing and other cybersecurity threats.

Measuring The Impact Of Training: A Crucial Step In Ensuring Vishing Defense Efficacy 

Assessing the impact of vishing training programs is pivotal to understanding their effectiveness and identifying areas that may require further attention or modification. A well-structured evaluation process not only validates the investment in training but also ensures that the training content remains relevant and impactful in the face of evolving vishing tactics.

This may involve a blend of quantitative and qualitative analysis, encompassing metrics such as incident rates, employee feedback, and the ability of staff to successfully navigate simulated vishing scenarios.

Quantitative metrics, such as the number of reported vishing attempts, the success rate in thwarting these attempts, and the frequency of secure behavior practices, provide a tangible measure of the training’s impact.

On the other hand, qualitative data, derived from employee feedback, surveys, and focus groups, offers insights into the perceived value and applicability of the training. This might involve exploring employees’ confidence in handling vishing attempts, their understanding of the protocols in place, and any challenges they face in navigating these situations. Such insights are invaluable in refining the training content to ensure it is both engaging and applicable.

Ultimately, measuring the impact of training is a continuous, cyclical process that ensures the organization’s defenses remain robust and adaptive to the ever-changing landscape of vishing threats.

Steps To Implement Employee Education And Training

Vishing unfortunately won’t go away. In fact, you’ll only experience more of it. But by taking the following steps, your organization can fight back:

1. Develop a Comprehensive Curriculum: Include modules on recognizing vishing, handling unsolicited calls, and reporting incidents.
2. Simulate Vishing Scenarios: Conduct mock vishing attacks to test and reinforce learning.
3. Legal and Ethical Training: Ensure that employees understand the legal implications of vishing and how to ethically handle such situations.
4. Continuous Learning: Update training materials to reflect the latest vishing tactics and strategies.
5. Create a Reporting Protocol and Establish Policies: Establish clear, simple steps for reporting vishing attempts, and for how to handle attacks.
6. Open Communication Channels: Ensure that employees can discuss and share experiences related to vishing without fear.
7. Reward and Recognize: Acknowledge employees who successfully thwart or report vishing attempts.
8. Leverage Technology: Use anti-vishing technologies like YouMailPS.
9. Measure Your Results: Assess your programs quantitatively and qualitatively.

Informed, trained employees are pivotal to safeguarding an organization against vishing attacks.  But what about attacks that use your brand’s name and trust to harm consumers? Keep an eye out for Part 3, "The Ultimate Vishing Guide for Business, Part 3: Shielding Your Brand (and your Customers) from Vishing Brand Fraud” as we will delve into strategies to protect your brand’s customers from vishing that uses your name.

For more information on securing your business communication, contact YouMailPS — the industry leaders in detecting and protecting brands from fraudulent voice communications.