Training service from OryxAlign and KnowBe4 helps businesses safeguard against the UK’s most prevalent form of cyber-attack

As cyber security awareness month draws to a close, London-based managed IT services provider OryxAlign has renewed its call for businesses to invest in cybersecurity awareness training, a service it offers in partnership with training specialist KnowBe4. OryxAlign’s cyber security training service allows businesses, especially SMEs, to periodically test their employees’ awareness and preparedness against phishing attacks. Based on their responses, staff will receive a customised training programme and access to a library of thousands of resources, including webinars, quizzes and games to develop their cybersecurity awareness.

2023 marks 20 years of cyber security awareness month, as it has taken place every October since its inception two decades ago. It was created as a way for industry and government to collaborate and ensure the availability of resources needed to stay safe and secure online. OryxAlign’s simulated phishing attack training helps businesses do just that.

Phishing is a type of cyberattack where an attacker sends a fraudulent email, message or website that appears to be legitimate, to trick the recipient into sharing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial information. It impacts businesses across every sector, from education and legal to construction and manufacturing.

Phishing remains one of the most common forms of attack reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ISCO), accounting for 36.5 per cent of reported cyber incidents in the UK. This is closely followed by the previous leader, Ransomware at 31.2 per cent.

The phishing security test from OryxAlign provides businesses with the ability to simulate a phishing attack by sending randomised fake phishing emails to their employees every quarter. The emails are designed to look like real phishing emails that employees may receive. The tool allows organisations to track who clicked on the links in the email or provided sensitive information in response to the email.

Based on their responses, users are given a cybersecurity awareness score, which is used to provide them with an ongoing programme of cybersecurity training, via an online library of webinars, quizzes, games and even a Netflix-style TV series.

“Employees across a business can vary significantly in their cybersecurity skills, so there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all training programme to improve awareness and preparedness,” explained Nathan Charles, Head of Customer Experience at OryxAlign. “This is why we’ve partnered with KnowBe4 to offer a simulated phishing attack and training service for SMEs.

“By using this tool, organisations can assess their employees’ ability to identify and avoid phishing attacks. The results of the test can help businesses identify areas of weakness in their security, from shop-floor workers to the CEO.”

The training is delivered virtually at the user’s own pace and organisations can integrate their corporate IT policies into the platform. As well as scoring individual users, the results of the simulated attacks can be used to benchmark the overall score for the company against similar businesses in the same sector.

The cybersecurity awareness training is offered as a managed service, but interested users can carry out a free phishing test for up to 100 employees by filling out the online form on the OryxAlign website at oryxalign.com/cyber-security-training/