Security's always a hot topic in the business world, but eWeek.com's list of '10 Essential Things Companies Should Teach Employees About Security" comes particularly well timed. Why? Just recently, McAfee posted a survey suggesting that SMBs are spending less on security as the recession continues to force cuts to the budget, yet cybercrime is on the rise. That being the case, now more than ever the onus falls on employees to take certain precautions.

According to eWeek, companies need to go back to the basics when it comes to educating its staff on safe computing. No. 1 on eWeek's list is the need to remind employees to be weary of email attachments and to only open ones from trusted sources. The importance of creating strong passwords and avoiding shadier sides of the Web also made the list.

One entry that might not have existed five years ago is teaching employees the dangers of social networks. One wrong click can turn into a security nightmare for an IT staff working with a reduced security budget.

What it all boils down to is that workers need to be reminded every once in awhile of the dangers assumed to already be known.