IInformation Security Awareness Training is a form of training that aims to equip members of an organization with the information they need to protect themselves and their assets from loss or damage. Members of an organization, including employees, temporary workers, contractors, and anyone who performs functions online that are authoritative for an organization, should be present for any security awareness training.

Organizationsthat must comply with industry regulations or frameworks such as GDPR, KVKK (Law on Personal Data Protection), PCI (Payment Card Initiative), HIPAA (1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), NIST or ISO typically provide security awareness training once or perhaps twice a year.

They can also benefit from training their employees on how to prevent cybercriminals
from misusing company funds through phishing attacks, account takeovers, or
other known methods, although small and medium-sized businesses may not want
this training for compliance reasons.

How can you run a successful program? Avoid potential pitfalls.

Why security awareness training? To be aware, you have to be able to face things (face things as they are).

Tecron helps employees face the fact that the bad guys are trying to deceive
them. Once confronted, they can take action such as recognizing, deleting
emails or not clicking on a link.

Cybercrime moves at the speed of light. A few years ago, cybercriminals specialized in
identity theft, but now they are taking over your company’s network, logging
into your bank accounts, and stealing large sums of money. Organizations of all
sizes and types are at risk. Are you the next victim of cybercrime? You need a
strong human firewall as your last line of defense.

How can you implement a successful program in your organization?

Critical Components of the Security Awareness Program

Content – Content is the most important component! As humans, we all prefer different types and
styles of content. Match different types of content to different roles in your
organization.

Manager  Support and Planing – Materials to help you prove the value of the program to your leadership team and show
auditors/regulators that you are doing the right thing.

Campaign Support Matarials- A successful program should have continuity and be viewed as a marketing effort.
Training conducted once a year will not be enough to change user behavior. If
the information they receive is consistent with their life context, it will be
easier for the user to make smarter decisions and that will impact their
decision making.

Testing –A mechanism should be put in place to determine if individuals have violated the
organization’s rules. Phishing simulations require users to click on a link,
report the phishing, or do nothing. You want to provide the ability to report
phishing attempts and help the organization be more flexible. If they fall into
the trap, that’s where you have a problem. The need to provide training will
become apparent.

Metrics and Reporting –You should be able to demonstrate that you have prevented security vulnerabilities.
Reporting is also useful for optimizing your business based on past results.
You can see what is working well and what can be improved.

Surveys / Evaluations –Tools like these can help you understand your organization’s attitudes and how well
your program fits your employees so you can quickly adjust it. Imagine using
them to monitor nuances other than metrics/reports, such as ideas, thought
flow, etc.

Here is an important fact : Your awareness program and its content are the “face” of the information security department to the rest of the organization. Most of your colleagues do not know you, especially if you are in a larger company; they only know what your department produces. Therefore, it should be better than anything the company does. Otherwise, security will continue to be seen as the “other” thing, something trivial to think about later.