What Is Security Awareness Training?
Security awareness training teaches employees how to recognize security risks, make safer decisions, protect sensitive information and know what to do when something seems suspicious.
Effective security awareness training helps people understand how everyday actions affect an organization’s security. It covers practical situations such as recognizing phishing and social engineering, protecting accounts, handling sensitive information appropriately, following security policies and reporting potential incidents.
The goal is not to turn every employee into a cybersecurity expert. It is to give people the knowledge and judgment they need to recognize risk and respond appropriately when a security decision appears during their work.
Reviewed by Michael Levin Updated September 2026
Why Is Security Awareness Training Important?
Technology can help protect an organization, but employees still make decisions every day that affect the security of accounts, systems, information and other people.
People encounter security decisions every day
Employees receive emails, share information, sign in to systems, work with customers and vendors, use mobile devices and respond to unexpected requests. Security awareness training helps them recognize when an ordinary task may involve additional risk.
Many attacks depend on human interaction
Phishing, business email compromise, social engineering and credential theft often rely on persuading someone to click, respond, disclose information, approve a request or take another action. Training helps employees slow down, verify and respond appropriately.
Early reporting can limit the impact of an incident
Employees need to know how to report suspicious messages, unexpected login activity, lost devices, possible data exposure and other security concerns. Recognizing a problem quickly is valuable only when people also know what to do next.
Awareness supports a stronger security culture
Effective training reinforces that protecting information is part of everyday work rather than something handled only by the IT or security team. It can also support organizational policies and applicable industry or regulatory requirements.
What Should Security Awareness Training Include?
The right topics depend on the organization, its workforce and the risks employees are likely to encounter. Most programs should address a practical combination of cybersecurity, information handling and physical security.
Phishing and social engineering
Employees should learn how attackers use email, text messages, phone calls, QR codes, impersonation, urgency and other forms of manipulation to influence people or obtain information.
Business email compromise and verification
Training should help employees recognize unusual requests involving payments, account changes, sensitive information or executive impersonation, and understand when an independent verification step is appropriate.
Passwords, authentication and account security
Employees should understand strong authentication practices, password and passphrase security, multi-factor authentication and the risks associated with stolen credentials or unexpected authentication requests.
Data protection and information handling
Awareness training should explain how to identify, access, share, store and dispose of sensitive information appropriately, including the importance of using approved systems and following organizational policies.
Devices, remote work and physical security
Employees need guidance on securing computers and mobile devices, protecting workspaces, working remotely, traveling with information and preventing unauthorized physical access.
Generative AI and responsible AI use
Modern awareness programs should address appropriate use of generative AI tools, including sensitive information, approved services, verification of generated content and AI-assisted impersonation or deception.
Security policies and acceptable use
Employees should understand the security policies that apply to their work, including expectations for systems, applications, information, devices and other organizational resources.
Incident recognition and reporting
Training should make it clear how employees report suspicious messages, possible account compromise, lost devices, unintended disclosures and other potential security incidents.
Who Needs Security Awareness Training?
Security awareness is relevant to anyone whose work involves organizational systems, accounts, devices, facilities or information.
For most organizations, awareness training should extend across the workforce rather than being limited to employees in IT or cybersecurity. Contractors, temporary personnel and other users should also be considered when they have access to organizational resources or sensitive information.
Employees
General workforce awareness should address the common security situations employees encounter during everyday work.
Managers and executives
Leaders face many of the same risks as other employees and are often targeted because of their authority, access or ability to approve requests.
Higher-risk roles
Employees working with financial transactions, sensitive data, privileged systems or other higher-risk functions often benefit from additional role-specific training.
Contractors and other authorized users
Organizations should consider whether non-employees with access to systems, facilities or information need the same awareness or additional role-appropriate instruction.
How Often Should Employees Receive Security Awareness Training?
Security awareness should begin when employees join the organization and continue throughout their employment as risks, technology and responsibilities change.
Many organizations use annual formal training as a baseline and reinforce important behaviors with shorter communications, exercises or targeted training between formal courses. Additional training may be needed when risks, systems, policies or employee responsibilities change.
Train during onboarding
New employees should understand the organization’s basic security expectations, policies, reporting procedures and common risks as they begin using systems and handling information.
Reinforce awareness throughout the year
Security behaviors are easier to remember when important concepts are revisited. Many organizations combine periodic reinforcement with a more formal recurring training cycle.
Add training when new risks appear
Changes in technology, policies, employee roles, emerging threats or lessons from an incident can all create a reason for additional or updated training.
What Makes Security Awareness Training Effective?
Effective training gives employees information they can recognize, remember and apply when a real security decision appears during their work.
Relevant to real work
Training should reflect the messages, requests, systems, information and situations employees are likely to encounter.
Clear and understandable
Employees should leave training knowing what the risk looks like and what action they are expected to take.
Practical and scenario-based
Realistic examples help people practice recognizing warning signs and choosing an appropriate response before the situation happens at work.
Appropriate to role and risk
Organization-wide awareness creates a foundation, while higher-risk roles often need additional instruction tied to their responsibilities.
Reinforced over time
Important security behaviors should be revisited as risks, technology, responsibilities and organizational policies change.
Measured and improved
Organizations should review participation, completion, reporting behavior, incidents and other useful signals to identify where additional awareness is needed.
See NIST SP 800-50 Rev. 1 for broader guidance on building and maintaining cybersecurity and privacy learning programs.
What Types of Security Awareness Training Are Available?
Security awareness can be delivered in different ways. The right format depends on the workforce, the organization and how employees learn and work.
Online training employees can complete on their own schedule.
Self-paced eLearning allows employees to complete assigned awareness training individually while giving organizations a consistent way to deliver and track training across different locations and schedules.
- Useful for distributed workforces
- Consistent training across employees
- Flexible scheduling and completion
Instructor-led training delivered directly to the workforce.
In-person training allows an instructor to engage directly with employees, discuss real situations and adapt the conversation to the organization, audience and issues that deserve the most attention.
- Direct instructor interaction
- Organization-specific discussion
- Live questions and examples
Live instruction for employees wherever they work.
Webinar training provides many of the benefits of instructor-led training while allowing remote, distributed and multi-location employees to participate in the same live session.
- Live instructor-led format
- Works across multiple locations
- Interactive discussion and Q&A
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