Anti-Phishing Expert, Wombat Security Technologies, Unveils Social Engineering Security Training Module

PITTSBURGH, PA, Jan 15, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Wombat Security Technologies (Wombat), a leading provider of cyber security awareness training solutions, today announced the release of its comprehensive Social Engineering training module to defend against the most up-to-date and sophisticated social engineering threats, including spear phishing and social media-based attacks. The Social Engineering security training module leverages Wombat's award-winning anti-phishing expertise and proven learning techniques to arm employees with the expertise they need to cope with changing social engineering threats using research-based training software that take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Commonly defined as the art of exploiting human psychology to gain access to buildings, systems or data, social engineering is evolving so rapidly that technology solutions, security policies, and operational procedures alone cannot protect critical resources. A recent Check Point sponsored survey revealed that 43 percent of the IT professionals surveyed said they had been targeted by social engineering schemes. The survey also found that new employees are the most susceptible to attacks, with 60 percent citing recent hires as being at "high risk" for social engineering.

"Based on the sheer volume and creativity of attacks waged against unsuspecting and under-educated employees, it is clear that something must be done to shore up this gaping hole in corporate defenses," said Joe Ferrara, President and CEO of Wombat Security Technologies.

"Maintaining the status quo is no longer a sustainable option, as organizations cannot afford to spend increasing amounts of time, money and resources responding to these types of cyber-attacks." Wombat is answering this need with a very unique approach to training employees. A combination of Social Engineering Assessments, which stage mock attacks on employees for the purposes of training, and a library of in-depth training modules to educate and reinforce concepts, work together to deliver measurable employee behavior change. Employees who fall for mock attacks are very motivated to learn how to avoid real attacks. The new Social Engineering training module explains the psychology behind these attacks, and gives practical tips for recognizing and avoiding them, which employees apply immediately during the training to lengthen retention.

The new Social Engineering training module is the latest module available in Wombat's Security Training Platform that helps companies foster a people-centric security culture and provide security officers with effective education tools. With the Platform, security officers can: -- Take a baseline assessment of employee understanding -- Help employees understand why their security discretion is vital to corporate health -- Create a targeted training program that addresses the most risky employees and/or prevalent behaviors first -- Empower employees to recognize potential threats and independently make correct security decisions -- Improve knowledge retention with short interactive training sessions that work easily into employees' busy schedules and feature proven effective learning science principles -- Monitor employee completion of assignments and deliver automatic reminders about training deadlines -- Show measurable knowledge improvement over time with easy-to-read reports for executive management "Wombat helps companies promote a people-centric security culture that provides ongoing training to consistently inform employees about the latest security threats. Fighting attacks against the human mind requires behavioral changes more than technology defenses," Ferrara added. "We recommend a combined approach of simulated social engineering attacks coupled with interactive training modules to deliver the best result. Incorporating our continuous training methodology can be the difference between a five-alarm data breach and a quiet night at the office." For pricing and/or more information about this security awareness training module, or Wombat's award winning Security Training Platform, please visit www.wombatsecurity.com.

About Wombat Security Technologies Wombat Security Technologies helps organizations combat cyber security threats with uniquely effective software-based training solutions. Wombat offers fully automated, highly scalable software-based training solutions, built on learning science principles. They offer mock attacks with brief embedded training, as well as a full complement of 10-minute software training modules.

Wombat's training solutions have been shown to reduce employee susceptibility to attack by up to 70%. Wombat is helping Fortune 1000 customers, large government agencies and small to medium businesses in segments such as finance, banking, higher education, retail, technology, energy, insurance, and consumer packaged goods strengthen their cyber security defenses. For more information visit www.wombatsecurity.com or contact Lorraine Kauffman-Hall at 704-882-0443 or lhall@attainmarketing.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2013/1/14/11G003359/Social%20engineering%20basics-593969283663.jpg Embedded Video Available: http://youtu.be/HmXjgATNKrs Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2013/1/14/11G003359/Social_Engineering-Datasheetf-118713615965.pdf Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2013/1/14/11G003359/PhishGuru%20Data%20Sheet%20May%202012-996110308434.pdf Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2013/1/14/11G003359/Security%20Training%20Platform%20Sept%202012-409896263037.pdf Contact: Lorraine Kauffman-Hall lhall@attainmarketing.com 704-882-0443 or Amy Baker abaker@wombatsecurity.com 412-621-1484 x 115 SOURCE: Wombat Security Technologies, Inc.

mailto:lhall@attainmarketing.com mailto:abaker@wombatsecurity.com

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