Which security control will mitigate the risk of a successful phishing attack on a financial institution's employees?

Conducting regular security awareness training for employees is crucial in mitigating the risk of successful phishing attacks. This type of training educates employees about the various forms of phishing, how to recognize suspicious emails or messages, and the actions they should take if they encounter them. Employees who are aware of phishing tactics are more likely to identify red flags, such as unusual sender addresses or requests for sensitive information, which can help prevent these attacks from being successful.

Phishing attacks often exploit human vulnerabilities, relying on deception to trick individuals into providing confidential information or access to secure systems. Training can empower employees to be vigilant and skeptical of unsolicited communications, reducing the likelihood that they will inadvertently engage with a phishing attempt.

In contrast, while other options like implementing network segmentation, enforcing strong password policies, and installing antivirus software are all critical components of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, they do not specifically address the human factors that phishing targets. Network segmentation can protect sensitive data after an attack has occurred, strong password policies help secure accounts post-breach, and antivirus software can detect and eliminate some malware but may not prevent users from falling for social engineering tactics inherent in phishing. Thus, security awareness training stands out as the most effective proactive measure to combat the threat of phishing in the workplace.