How to Create an Effective Employee Cybersecurity Training Program

The cybersecurity role played by employees and others with access to your organization’s network and applications can’t be overstated. A single click on a link in a phishing email or on a malicious web page can result in a significant cyber breach.

That’s why ongoing employee cybersecurity training is an essential component of an effective information security program. Comprehensive training keeps employees informed about current and emerging cyber risks and helps them understand the vital role they play in protecting your organization from cyber incidents.  

Consider the following elements as you create a training program for your organization—or strengthen your existing program.

Define Who Will Be Involved in Your Employee Cybersecurity Training

Make the training mandatory for all stakeholders—every employee, intern, board member, and anyone else with access to your organization’s network and critical applications. This includes your organization’s leaders, whose participation will help underscore the importance of the training.

Consider the presenter carefully as well. While a member of your IT team may seem like an obvious choice, it’s important to select a presenter who is knowledgeable about the material but also has strong teaching skills and an engaging presentation style.

Outsourcing your training to a vendor is another option and can save you the effort of developing and delivering the content if you don’t have that expertise in-house.

Determine What the Training Will Cover

The training content should be simple and direct. Explain key cyber terms such as phishing, whaling, malware, ransomware, and vulnerabilities in clear language, without “tech speak,” and emphasize the importance of following cybersecurity best practices and policies to help protect the organization.  

Include key concepts such as:

• The importance of strong passwords that aren’t used for multiple accounts or shared with other individuals
• Why email should never be used to send secure or confidential information without first being encrypted
• Warning signs of threats, such as phishing emails and whaling attempts
• How to spot and avoid unsafe websites
• The dangers posed by public wi-fi networks
• Emerging threats and what to watch for
• Who to report potential issues to and how

Sharing examples of real-life cyberattacks and breaches can be an effective way to demonstrate risks and the significant effect a cyber breach can have on an organization.

The training format matters, too. While in-person training is typically more effective at reducing employee cyber risks, a webinar, recorded session, or interactive training platform can be a good option if timing or location are a challenge.

Set a Cadence

Decide how frequently you’ll provide employee cybersecurity training. With new threats continually emerging and current threats perpetually evolving, it’s vital to provide training frequently, such as quarterly or twice a year. You can also keep cybersecurity top of mind and augment training by sharing quick cybersecurity tips every month.

Plan for how you will record attendance to ensure everyone completes the training. If you provide live training sessions, offer a repeat date or recording to those who are unable to attend.

To reach new employees, make cybersecurity training part of the onboarding process, whether through a recorded program or a face-to-face meeting with your organization’s information security officer. This should include:

• A review of technology use and cybersecurity policies
• Information on current and emerging cyber risks
• Best practices to follow.

Create a Culture of Cybersecurity

Even with strong controls in place, humans will always be a cyber risk because they are susceptible to social engineering, phishing, and other threats. The modern employee is overloaded with emails, text messages, social media posts, and more. This can make it difficult to spot red flags and suspicious activity.

New threats will always occur, but ongoing employee cybersecurity training will help keep all your users knowledgeable about current threats. 

There are many controls and safeguards that organizations can—and should—put in place to reduce their risk of a cyberattack. Employee cybersecurity training is a vital tool in mitigating that risk. If your organization is ready to strengthen your training on cyber risk prevention, detection, and response, reach out to our cybersecurity advisors.