Top 5 Security Awareness Training Topics

Written by Michelle Stamps | Apr 2, 2019 7:21:13 PM

You understand that human behavior plays a huge part in the security posture of your company and that each employee plays an important role in security. So you've decided to go ahead and purchase a Security Training Awareness Solution. However, before you gain access to a vast selection of security awareness courses you must have a plan and know where to begin when it comes to selecting a course cadence.

Deploying a security awareness training can be overwhelming. There's a lot of factors to weigh in your decision. The first two important decisions that must be made is which courses to deploy and at what cadence. Visit our S.H.I.E.L.D. training catalog to see what security awareness training topics we offer with our platform solutions. Here at TechGuard, we have had the opportunity to deploy hundreds of trainings over the past year. Here is what we learned: our customers tend to start with these 5 Single Course Topics. These topics are common issues that companies internationally are working hard to address. Be sure to click on the links below to read additional blogs on each topic.

1. Phishing

2. Password Security

3. Physical Security

4. Appropriate Use of Social Media

5. Working Remotely

Although these are currently the most popularly being deployed, where you need to start may differ based on your specific needs and current security posture. In order to assess your employees' current security awareness strengths and weaknesses, test them. There's a few ways you may do this. Offer a general quiz to gauge your employees security awareness level or a questionnaire to determine how they would respond to various situations. The best way to really engage them and to test their knowledge is to try a real-world test on them. We invite companies to try out our phishing simulator for free to see just how easy it is to use.

Once you've actually tested your employees, you can see how many would pass or fail a phishing attempt for example. If your employees have been tricked into clicking on a phishing email or even further, filling out a form, then you will impact them at a greater level through this exercise. They are more likely to have more buy-in when you deploy a training course topic that educates them about phishing if they've been fooled themselves.

Try a USB Drop

Another way to test them is to plan an educational staff meeting about security awareness. Then drop a USB drive in the room and see if anyone picks it up. If they do, ask them what they plan to do with it. Often they will say, "Plug it in to see what's on it." Use this as a learning experiment. TechGuard offers USB drop campaigns to companies to test their employees actions as well.

Use Current Events

Another factor to consider is if your company has suffered any security-related breaches. Or, even if your employees did not fall victim to a phishing email, what types of phishing emails did they receive in the last year? The more that you can use real-life scenarios or current events, the more of a relatable connection you will make. Have a discussion about recent cyber-attacks in the news that could have been prevented if specific protocols would have been followed. People tend to enjoy stories about famous fails.

Get Personal

Relate to how improving employees' security behaviors at work can also be practiced in their personal lives. If they can relate the two and see a direct benefit, they may actually adopt the change.

Or have you noticed employees using insecure passwords? Determine the maturity of your current security awareness program along with your company's specific needs and you will know where to start to achieve maximum success. One of the benefits of using a solution like TechGuard's is that the deployment of your training can be managed by us or yourself. There's a lot of flexibility to customize your needs.

Check out our other blogs on Physical Security:

What is IT Security worth without Physical Security? Employees should Watch out for Tabnabbing

Your #1 Security Threat - Well-Intended Employees Create a Top-Down Culture

USB Drops: Would your Employees Take the Bait? The Threat Within

Social Engineering Takes on Many Shapes Insider Threats are Weakening Your Physical Security

Poisoning the Water Cooler

Human Resource Managers create Security-Minded Employees

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