Independent Banker - April 2021 - 41

Next: This month's ICBA Capital Summit goes virtual 
community bank hosts an annual
in-person training that went virtual in
2020. In addition, it runs a corporate
account takeover training session
each year for businesses. In this event,
bank leadership assembles its own IT
team, key vendors and experts to share
experiences and offer an overview of
the latest trends and threats. The goal
is to ensure customers stay up to speed
on emerging cybersecurity issues.
" If the training we offer can
help at least one customer
prevent a cyberattack, it is a win, "
Marionneaux says. " We owe it to
them all to help educate them on
protecting themselves. "
While these educational events
provide in-depth fraud discussions,
community banks can also support
their customers with quick-hit
information via blog posts or
newsletter articles, webinars and
lunch-and-learns. The goal is to
continue a steady drumbeat of cyber
awareness. " I believe that, regardless
of the training, getting the information
out to all customers is vitally
important, " Marionneaux says. " It's
not only for their business, but it offers
good habits that also roll over to their
personal lives. "
Promoting cyber hygiene
Community banks themselves
benefit from internal training, too.
When a bank's staff has a deeper
understanding of existing and
" If the training we offer can help at least
one customer prevent a cyberattack,
it is a win. We owe it to them all to help
educate them on protecting themselves. "
-MARK MARIONNEAUX, BANK OF ZACHARY
emerging cyber threats, it's better
positioned to thwart an attack. For
example, $247 million-asset Wolf
River Community Bank in Hortonville,
Wis., not only provides educational
information to help customers, it also
requires continuous cybersecurity
training throughout the year for bank
employees. This ensures that all staff
are better equipped to recognize fraud
and mitigate threats. This knowledge
provides added support to small
business customers, who stand to
benefit from an increased emphasis on
cybersecurity at their bank.
" Community banks are in a unique
and fortunate position to have both the
need and an opportunity to educate
their customer base on cybersecurity, "
Estep says. " It's a necessity in
that community banks need their
customers to keep their online banking
accounts secure, so they [should]
educate them on how to do so. "
He adds that if community banks
make a concerted effort to provide
ongoing security education to their
staff members and their customers,
they " have the opportunity to create
a stronger culture of cyber hygiene
throughout their communities. "
A culture of awareness
While it may feel like we're fighting
an uphill battle against ever-changing
fraud techniques, community banks'
small business education efforts
have been proving successful. In
fact, despite the pervasiveness of
cyberattacks on small businesses today,
the number is declining. In 2018, 58%
of data breaches occurred at small
businesses. But according to Verizon's
2020 report, that figure had dropped to
28% two years later.
To continue moving that trend in
the right direction, experts advise
community bankers to stay the course
with their cybersecurity education and
talk to their customers about emerging
threats. This dialogue will provide
important insights into the depth and
kind of information customers need
from their bank.
Cybersecurity resources
ICBA's Cyber & Data Security page aggregates key advice on
customer education and internal mitigation, as well as best
practices, alerts and other materials to help community banks
address ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. icba.org/cyber
" Start asking questions, "
Marionneaux says. " [Your customers]
will tell you where they feel vulnerable.
Cybersecurity awareness needs to
become a culture within even the
smallest businesses. " 
Colleen Morrison is a writer in Maryland.
independentbanker.org Q 41
http://www.icba.org/cyber http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - April 2021

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