Keepnet’s Top Five Recommendations for Effective Human Cyber Risk Management

Since the rise of generative AI, phishing attacks have surged by 4,151% (The State of Phishing 2024, SlashNext), making employees more vulnerable to deception. At the same time, 48% of SMBs have already suffered a cyberattack, yet 43% still struggle to understand what security measures they need (Cyber Security for SMBs, Sage Group).

With cybercrime costs projected to exceed $23 trillion by 2027 (U.S. National Security Council), organizations can no longer rely on outdated security training. They need a proactive Human Cyber Risk Management strategy to strengthen defenses where attackers strike the most—people.

This blog provides Keepnet’s top five recommendations to help organizations reduce human-related cyber risks and transform employees into a strong line of defense against cyber threats.

Technology Alone Can’t Solve Cybersecurity Challenges

Gartner highlights the importance of continuous asset discovery, vulnerability scanning, and prioritizing remediation as key factors in cybersecurity resilience. However, even the most advanced security tools are ineffective if employees remain the weakest link. Without proper training and awareness, human errors—such as clicking on phishing emails, failing to report suspicious activity, or using weak passwords—continue to expose organizations to breaches.

To bridge this gap, businesses must complement technological defenses with strong human cyber risk management strategies.

Below, we provide Keepnet’s top five recommendations to help organizations reduce human-related cyber risks and turn employees into a proactive defense layer.

1. Train and Educate Employees Continuously

A one-time security training session isn’t enough to combat today’s evolving threats. Employees must receive continuous, engaging, and personalized training to recognize cyber risks effectively. Keepnet’s Security Awareness Training provides:

• Role-based learning ensuring employees receive training relevant to their job functions.
• Interactive modules and real-world scenarios, improving engagement and retention.
• Gamification techniques, making security awareness training more effective.

Companies implementing ongoing cybersecurity education see a 70% improvement in employee awareness and a significant drop in phishing susceptibility.

Explore Keepnet’s blog on What Are the Core Differences Between Human Risk Management & Security Awareness to learn how to effectively integrate security awareness training into your human risk management strategy.

2. Simulate Cybersecurity Scenarios

Employees can’t effectively defend against cyber threats if they don’t experience them firsthand. Simulated cyberattacks provide a safe yet realistic environment to test employee responses and reinforce security training. Keepnet’s Phishing Simulator helps organizations assess and strengthen their workforce’s ability to detect and respond to threats.

• AI Phishing simulations replicate real-world attacks, training employees to recognize deceptive emails and malicious links.
• Multi-channel testing includes email phishing, SMS-based smishing, voice-based vishing, and QR code phishing, covering all potential attack vectors.
• Detailed analytics track click rates, report rates, and employee risk scores, providing valuable insights into security awareness gaps.

According to Keepnet, organizations using AI-powered phishing simulations can increase phishing reporting by up to 92%, significantly reducing social engineering risks in security awareness training programs.

3. Encourage Incident Reporting

Many cyber incidents go undetected because employees hesitate to report them—whether due to fear of consequences, lack of awareness, or confusing reporting processes. Without a seamless way to report threats, security teams may only detect an attack when it’s too late. Keepnet’s Phishing Reporter removes these barriers by making incident reporting quick, easy, and effective.

• One-click "Phishing Report" button, allowing employees to flag suspicious emails effortlessly.
• Automated threat categorization, prioritizing high-risk incidents, and reducing response time.
• A no-blame policy, fostering a security-conscious workplace where employees feel safe reporting threats.

Keepnet research shows that companies take an average of 197 days to detect a security breach and another 69 days to contain it, leading to an average cost of $4.35 million per incident. A strong reporting culture can drastically reduce this timeframe, preventing financial and reputational damage.

4. Analyze Reported Threats Effectively

Security teams often struggle with false positives and delayed threat detection, allowing real threats to go unnoticed. Keepnet’s Incident Response platform uses AI-powered automation to quickly analyze, detect, and prioritize urgent threats before they escalate.

• AI-driven email analysis scans and quarantines phishing attacks across the organization.
• Threat classification tools identify emerging attack trends for proactive defense.
• Seamless SIEM/SOAR integration enables rapid response and improved security operations.

Over 80% of cyber incidents involve stolen or breached credentials, with undetected intrusions lasting 200+ days costing companies nearly $5 million. Worse, 40% of breach-related costs occur a year after the attack.

With Keepnet’s Incident Responder, organizations can quickly identify exposed employee credentials, assess breach impact, and cut response times from days to minutes, minimizing financial and reputational risks.

5. Provide Proactive Feedback and Metrics

Tracking and analyzing security behaviors is critical for continuous improvement. Keepnet’s Human Risk Management Platform offers data-driven insights, phishing risk scores, and performance tracking to enhance cybersecurity awareness.

• Click rates, reporting rates, and behavioral insights help measure employee awareness.
• Personalized feedback reinforces security-conscious behaviors.
• Benchmarking against industry standards enables better risk assessment.

Check out Keepnet’s Human Risk Management Platform to gain full visibility into employee security performance, identify vulnerabilities, reduce risky behaviors, and improve proactive threat reporting.

Strengthening Cybersecurity by Managing Human Risk Effectively

Human error remains a major cybersecurity risk, and a proactive approach is essential to prevent breaches. By implementing Keepnet’s top five recommendations, organizations can strengthen their defenses:

By implementing Keepnet’s top five recommendations, organizations can significantly reduce cyber threats caused by human mistakes:

• Ongoing security awareness training keeps employees alert to evolving attack methods.
• Realistic phishing simulations reinforce awareness and test real-world decision-making.
• Seamless incident reporting enables faster threat detection and response.
• AI-powered threat analysis helps security teams identify and contain risks quickly.
• Performance tracking and feedback drive long-term security improvements.

Cybercriminals exploit human vulnerabilities, but with the right strategy, organizations can turn employees into their first line of defense against cyber threats.