The Ultimate User Security Playbook: Insights From Our Latest Webinar

In our recent webinar, we explored the critical role of user security in today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. Organizations continue to allocate substantial resources to security measures, yet human-related security gaps remain one of the biggest security risks. According to a recent survey, nearly 80% of respondents expect their organizations to increase cybersecurity budgets in 2025.

In the live session, our security expert discussed how sophisticated threats, such as phishing and ransomware, are targeting end users and how organizations can build a holistic strategy to prevent, respond to and recover from these threats.

This blog recaps our discussion, covering key takeaways, best practices and solutions to enhance user security and minimize threats. Read on to learn how your organization can implement a robust defense strategy against cyberthreats targeting users.

Why user security matters

Cybersecurity is a critical concern for businesses worldwide, yet many organizations overlook a crucial vulnerability — the user. Despite significant investments in security tools such as firewalls, encryption and endpoint detection, cyberthreats persist. The reality is that a single user mistake can dent even the most robust security measures.

Over the past decade, cybersecurity spending has surged significantly. Gartner, Inc. predicts that global cybersecurity spending will soar to $212 billion in 2025, marking a 15.1% jump from 2024. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion in 2025, making it one of the world’s largest economies. This rapid growth highlights the need for a security approach that places users at the center of defense strategies.

Understanding the human element in cybersecurity

Users are an organization’s most valuable asset but also the weakest link in cybersecurity. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that nearly 70% of security incidents stem from human error. While traditional cybersecurity frameworks focus on several security aspects, such as endpoint security, network security, forensics and more, they fail to account for user security as a distinct category, leaving organizations vulnerable.

To tackle this critical security gap, organizations must recognize three primary types of users that heighten cybersecurity risks:

1. Careless users: Individuals who unintentionally compromise security, such as clicking on malicious links or using weak passwords.
2. Malicious users: Insider threats who intentionally leak or manipulate data for personal gain. These types of users are hard to detect because they originate from within the organization and have access to systems and data.
3. Fraudulent users: External attackers who steal credentials and impersonate legitimate users, leading to business email compromise and account takeovers.

Users as an attack surface

Most organizations focus on networks, endpoints and cloud environments when discussing attack surfaces. However, users themselves are an attack surface that needs to be secured. With hybrid work becoming the norm and SaaS adoption on the rise, the attack surface is growing, creating more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals exploit human vulnerabilities through phishing, social engineering and credential harvesting. Reducing the human attack surface is crucial for minimizing risk.

A cybersecurity playbook for users

With cyberthreats becoming more complex and dangerous than ever, organizations must take a proactive stance in securing their end users. Here’s a three-pronged approach that businesses can implement to strengthen end-user security.

1. Deter user mistakes: End users are the primary entry point for cybercriminals. Security awareness training is a powerful defense mechanism, empowering users to identify and avoid common threats. Studies show that organizations that implement regular security training and phishing simulations can reduce the likelihood of security incidents by up to 70%.
2. Detect malicious activity: Credential theft is a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. Cybercriminals can buy stolen credentials from the dark web and use them to infiltrate corporate networks, access sensitive data and launch further attacks. Businesses must implement advanced solutions that provide real-time monitoring to identify anomalies, such as unauthorized access attempts and unusual user behavior, to mitigate threats before they escalate into full-scale breaches.
3. Disrupt attack efforts: It is crucial to break the cyber kill chain before it causes damage. Organizations should deploy cutting-edge security solutions, such as anti-phishing and dark web monitoring solutions, to reduce the risk of phishing-based credential theft and take proactive measures before threat actors exploit compromised credentials.

Strengthening user security

As cyberthreats such as phishing scams, business email compromise (BEC), ransomware and identity theft grow more sophisticated, protecting end users has become a strategic business necessity. Organizations must prioritize securing their end users, their identities, data, privacy and workflows to build a cyber-resilient business. They must take a proactive approach, combining security training with cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity solutions that provide multiple layers of defense.

Security awareness training

Well-designed security training programs change user behavior and significantly reduce security risks. Surprisingly, 45% of employees say they’ve never received security awareness training. Even more concerning, 1 in 4 organizations (25.7%) don’t provide IT security training at all, leaving their users exposed to cyberthreats. Organizations must ensure training is engaging and continuous rather than a mere compliance checkbox.

Organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity defenses with industry-leading solutions like BullPhish ID. With effortless, set-it-and-forget-it campaign management, BullPhish ID simplifies security awareness training while delivering simulated phishing tests to keep users vigilant and prepared against real-world threats.

Credential protection and dark web monitoring

The Verizon DBIR also found that over 30% of breaches involved the use of stolen credentials. Credential theft is a major attack vector. Once stolen, credentials are often sold on the dark web. Modern security solutions like Dark Web ID give organizations critical visibility into compromised credentials, allowing them to mitigate risks proactively. By continuously monitoring the dark web for exposed user information, Dark Web ID enables IT teams to detect threats early and take swift action, reducing the risk of breaches before they happen.

SaaS security and identity protection

With the rise of cloud applications, attackers increasingly target SaaS environments. Traditional multifactor authentication (MFA) is no longer foolproof, as adversary-in-the-middle attacks bypass MFA protections using session token replay techniques. Continuous monitoring solutions, such as SaaS Alerts, can detect unauthorized access and automate response actions. It provides real-time alerts on suspicious activities within SaaS environments, allowing businesses to act swiftly before threats escalate. With comprehensive cloud activity monitoring, SaaS Alerts ensures rapid threat detection, robust security and seamless compliance.

Anti-phishing defense

Phishing remains the most common attack method, with a nearly 1,300% increase in phishing attacks following the rise of AI-driven content generation. AI-powered solutions like Graphus provide advanced anti-phishing defense by analyzing email patterns and detecting anomalies before they reach users. The advanced anti-phishing solution does more than just filter emails — it proactively defends organizations against a full spectrum of email-based threats. From phishing and spear phishing to business email compromise (BEC), account takeover (ATO), identity spoofing, malware and ransomware, it delivers robust protection to keep end users secure.

Backup and recovery for SaaS applications

Many organizations don’t read their SaaS provider’s service agreements in detail or are unaware that SaaS providers like Microsoft and Google are not responsible for data loss due to issues on the client’s end. In a SaaS world, while the service providers ensure application uptime and availability, users are responsible for securing their data. Therefore, implementing SaaS backup solutions, such as Spanning or Backupify, is critical to ensuring comprehensive data protection and business continuity in the event of a disaster. Spanning and Backupify provide automated, daily backups and enable quick recovery of lost or damaged data.

A unified approach to user security

In today’s rapidly evolving cyberthreat environment, user security requires a comprehensive, multilayered defense strategy. Organizations must integrate security awareness training, dark web monitoring, SaaS defense, anti-phishing solutions and backup and recovery strategies to create a holistic security framework.

Introducing Kaseya 365 User

Kaseya 365 User seamlessly unifies these essential security components into one powerful platform. This ground-breaking, subscription-based security solution is designed to protect businesses from threats targeting users. The key components in Kaseya 365 User work in tandem to prevent attacks before they happen, respond swiftly to incidents and ensure rapid recovery when disaster strikes. With a user-centric approach, Kaseya 365 User minimizes risks and maximizes resilience, empowering organizations to stay ahead of threats.

Transform your security strategy with Kaseya 365 User

Cybersecurity is an asymmetric battle in which attackers need only one success, while defenders must protect every possible entry point. Users remain the weakest link, making it an absolute business necessity to implement a dedicated user security strategy. Adopting a multifaceted security approach and leveraging innovative solutions like Kaseya 365 User can help organizations fortify their defenses and tackle user-related security risks confidently.

Ready to see how Kaseya 365 User bolsters end-user security? Request a demo today.