CS Jan-Feb 2024

training
LEFT: The increased sophistication of AI
has allowed it to enhance the effectiveness
of cyberattack vectors.
with
stolen
passwords
or isolated cyber
incidents. Instead, we face a
multi-faceted threat landscape that can
have devastating repercussions for organisations
and individuals alike. Among
these consequences, three aspects loom
large: data breaches, reputational
damage and legal implications. Each
poses a unique set of challenges for HR
teams and the organisations they serve."
He adds: "In a survey conducted in
August 2023, involving 205 IT security
decision-makers, undertaken by a
prominent pan-European cyber security
organisation, it became evident that
mounting concerns surround the use of
AI, with deepfakes taking centre stage.
A staggering 68% of the respondents
expressed apprehension regarding cybercriminals
exploiting deepfake technology
to breach their organisations, skilfully
circumventing people's natural
defences."
HACKERS AND THE DARK WEB
And he cautions: "Hackers now have their
own AI arsenal and it goes by the name
of WormGPT. Drawing from a vast corpus
of human-generated text, WormGPT
crafts content that is remarkably
convincing, enabling it to masquerade as
a trusted figure within a business email
system. Unbelievably, hackers can gain
access to WormGPT by subscribing
through the dark web, granting them
entry to a web interface where they can
input prompts and receive responses that
closely mimic human communication.
"Primarily designed for phishing emails
and business email compromise attacks,
tests conducted by researchers uncovered
that this chatbot possesses the ability
to draft a persuasive email, seemingly
from a company's top executive, coercing
an employee to pay a fraudulent invoice,
for example."
Confronted with these ever-evolving
threats, the question, he says, is this:
what can HR leadership do to shield their
teams from such threats?
"First and foremost," he points out,
"it's crucial to acknowledge that HR
departments stand as prime targets
for cybercriminals. These departments
manage personal data and hold confidential
information that is immensely
valuable to malicious actors. Moreover,
other parts of the organisation often
take their cues from HR, making it a
tempting gateway for cybercriminals
to exploit their access to the broader
network."
The first step in fortifying your HR team
against these threats is to initiate a
dialogue with HR team members, he
says. "Educate them on how they are
being specifically targeted and empower
them with the knowledge needed to
thwart these scams. It's vital that this
training is tailored to your organisation,
taking into account the unique roles
and responsibilities of your employees.
"Ideally, this training should be
tailored to the HR department, highlighting
the unique threats to the HR
team and what they can do to avoid
them."
VITAL TRAINING COMPONENT
To make this training even more
impactful, it should be delivered in the
trainee's native language. "By doing so,
you reduce resistance and enhance
engagement, making it a vital component
of their cyber security awareness.
Ultimately, this personalised approach
to security awareness is your best
defence in safeguarding your HR
department from the relentless tide of
AI-driven cyber-attacks," he concludes.
MetaCompliance's new departmental
cyber security training series is designed
to address 12 common cyber threats
and specifically tailored to eight
departments, including marketing,
sales, finance, procurement, human
resources, privileged users, legal and
executive teams.
To learn more about the series, visit:
https://www.metacompliance.com/depa
rtmental-series
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