Verizon recently released its latest information on data IT security, announcing some disturbing numbers, including the fact that over two-thirds of data breaches involved non-malicious human errors. The examples they give include a person making a simple IT security error or falling victim to a social engineering attack.
When one careless click on the wrong email can cause an entire team’s data and progress to be destroyed, and your employees are already neck-deep in dozens of apps that they use every day, what can you do to protect your assets and ensure that you don’t fall victim yourself?
Below, we discuss why employee error causes most data breaches, as well as some habits your team can adopt to protect themselves. Discover how even a small startup can beat some of the best phishing attempts out there and keep all of your data safe in the long term.
“Is My Business At Risk of a Cyberattack?”
The simple fact is that humans are fallible. Simple human actions can create breach openings, even when attempting to do something entirely innocent, such as:
- Misclicks that open the wrong website
- Accidentally sharing data with the wrong team
- Using a weak password
- Making social media posts that include security data in photos
At the same time, attackers often exploit trust rather than technical flaws. These target the individual and are purpose-driven to leverage a person’s weaknesses, showing how humans are all similar in our inability to stay completely vigilant 24/7.
At the same time, smaller, more agile teams often lack the same formal policies that larger teams do. Even if that team then grows and becomes a part of a stronger business, the security vulnerabilities that did not cause issues when they were smaller may have created a backdoor long ago, meaning the company may become a victim much later.
Finally, all of this has recently been exacerbated by the sudden increase in working from home. Home networks, and often home PCs, lack the security that other office networks possess, making them a prime target for attacks. As such, ensure that your employees can only access the system from a provably secure network and that you have provided them with appropriate training on how to do so.
And that is without even mentioning the amount of phishing that still exists in the world, despite it being such a well-known vector of attack for many data access attempts. With AI-generated emails mimicking internal email tones and creating fake invoices, problems are likely to worsen in the short term.
Risks Small Teams Face Without Formal IT Security
If you manage a small team, you need to be aware of the difficulties they face that larger groups may have already covered. To start, the limited budget on offer makes it difficult for them to invest in many of the advanced defenses or dedicated security staff enjoyed by other teams. They often have to juggle security with different issues, which makes it difficult for them to provide focused protection.
These teams are also likely to use apps that have not been vetted, such as those used in larger organizations. They won’t be patched as often to the latest versions, and individuals may use software that could contain code that puts the team at risk.
What makes this especially dangerous is that these teams often lack formal policies, making it easy for riskier behavior to occur, especially in “lone wolf” or junior team members who may not have the same experience with potential issues.
Make sure to stay on top of security at this stage when possible, as if you do not, problems may occur more easily. Not only will this cause a loss of funds in the moment, but it can also lead to increased cyber insurance premiums later.
Fortunately, many of these issues can be solved with clear training in small team security practices. However, one of the significant issues is ensuring that this is sufficient to provide real security, rather than merely a legally mandated annual slide deck on basic security habits.
As such, make sure to take the following steps to ensure that any new or small team has the right security in place:
- Provide appropriate security to all employees to ensure robust protection
- Secure accounts and explain security policies during onboarding
- Ensure that part-time or contract staff also receive formal security training
- Pivot security training to the technical competency of the staff in question
- Track the security process understanding with all employees to close gaps
Combining this with providing equally intense employee cybersecurity training for small teams as you do for larger ones means that you can rest assured that a lack of knowledge will not be your downfall.
Quick-win Security Strategies for Small Teams
Make sure that your team continues learning, even outside of these training sessions. For example, five-minute videos and ongoing implementations of new security rules and features can keep people constantly vigilant and also boost camaraderie in small teams who learn at the same time.
It may be helpful to use the CISA “Stop, Think, Connect” toolkit or similar. This set of tools contains valuable information for many companies engaged in small business cybersecurity in 2025.
Figuring out how to prevent phishing scams at work in the long term involves testing the learning with realistic simulations as well. Irregular fake phishing emails that inform you of who falls victim to it, allowing you to focus training on specific individuals.
Use a security system that uses multi-factor authentication, too, to block the majority of attempts to guess credentials. Also, block all common passwords, such as “password,” and ask users not to reuse passwords they have used in the past.
Secure Your Company’s Future
Human error is a preventable issue, and having sound knowledge, as well as modeling good habits, can make all the difference in IT security by ensuring that your team takes the best steps to protect your company.
TruePoint Systems is an expert in the tactics needed to make security a key priority in your company. We understand what every business needs, no matter its network. So, book a security readiness call and have a no-obligation discussion to learn the specific steps you need to take to be ready today.
