What are IT Security Training Topics for Employees?
Human risk management (HRM) is a strategy for businesses to understand, reduce, and monitor their employee IT security risks. An important aspect of HRM is providing IT security awareness training so that employees are able to identify and address threats and to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and experience needed to avoid threats. The following are IT security training topics to include in your HRM strategy:
Email scams. Phishing attacks are the most common method that cyberattackers use to gain access to an organization’s network. Phishing attacks have become more sophisticated, making it easier to trick employees into revealing sensitive data or downloading malicious content. Train employees to avoid email scams by not trusting unsolicited emails and/or attachments, not sending funds to people who request them, using spam filters, using and updating antivirus and firewall programs, and not clicking on unknown or unsolicited links in emails.
Malware. Malware is used by cyberattackers to steal sensitive data and/or cause damage to an organization’s system. Train employees to be suspicious of files in email, online, or in other places, avoid installing unauthorized software, use and update antivirus programs, alert IT to possible malware infections, understand the risks of malware on removable media such as USB sticks and SD cards.
Password security. Poor password security is a major security threat. Train employees to use unique passwords for their accounts, use randomly generated passwords, use passwords with a mix of letters, numbers, cases, and symbols, use a password manager, and use multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Physical security. While IT security is largely threatened on digital platforms, leaving sensitive information unattended on notepads, documents, or sticky notes is an IT security risk that employees should be aware of.
Mobile device security. Employees using mobile devices should be trained to avoid security risks by having sensitive information password-protected, encrypted, or secured with biometric authentication. Provide workers with a mobile security policy that detail’s your organization’s security standards and expectations.
Internet habits. Train employees to be aware of threats online. Possible security training topics include recognizing suspicious and spoofed domains, identifying insecure connections, dangers in downloading software, risks of entering credentials into risky websites, and risks from drive-by downloads.
Social media. Educate employees about social media account privacy settings and the dangers on social media from phishing and spearphishing.
Data management. Organizations collect, store, and process large quantities of sensitive data, so employees need to be trained on how to manage data in a way that protects data security and personal privacy. Possible training topics include data classification strategies, regulatory requirements, and appropriate storage locations for different types of data.