Security Awareness and Training Policy
1. Purpose
Establish requirements for security awareness education and skills training to reduce cybersecurity risks from human behavior at [ORGANIZATION].
2. Scope
This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and third-party personnel who access [ORGANIZATION]'s information systems or handle [ORGANIZATION]'s data.
3. Policy
3.1 Security Awareness Program
[ORGANIZATION] shall maintain a security awareness program that is reviewed and updated at least [CUSTOMIZE: annually].
All new employees and contractors shall complete security awareness training within [CUSTOMIZE: 30] days of start date, before receiving access to information systems.
All personnel shall complete annual security awareness refresher training. Training completion shall be tracked and reported to [CUSTOMIZE: management/HR].
Security awareness content shall cover, at minimum: phishing and social engineering recognition, password security and MFA usage, data handling and classification requirements, incident reporting procedures, acceptable use policy requirements, physical security awareness, and remote work security practices.
3.2 Phishing Simulation
Phishing simulation campaigns shall be conducted at least [CUSTOMIZE: quarterly/monthly] to test and reinforce user awareness.
Users who fail phishing simulations shall receive additional targeted training within [CUSTOMIZE: 5/10] business days.
Users who repeatedly fail phishing simulations ([CUSTOMIZE: 3+] failures within a [CUSTOMIZE: 12-month] period) shall be referred to their manager for counseling and additional training.
Phishing simulation results shall be tracked and reported to [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/executive leadership] at least quarterly.
3.3 Role-Based Training
Personnel in roles with elevated security responsibilities shall receive additional role-specific training:
IT administrators: Secure system administration, incident response procedures, secure configuration management.
Developers: Secure coding practices, OWASP Top 10, code review security, secure SDLC.
Executives: Executive-targeted threats, business email compromise, incident response decision-making.
Security team: Advanced threat detection, forensics, threat hunting, incident handling.
Role-based training shall be completed within [CUSTOMIZE: 60/90] days of assuming the role and refreshed at least annually.
4. Compliance
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all personnel within its scope. Compliance will be monitored through periodic audits, automated controls, and management review.
Exceptions to this policy must be documented with a business justification, approved by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Security Team], and reviewed at least annually.
5. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or contract, and may result in civil or criminal penalties where applicable law has been violated.
[ORGANIZATION] reserves the right to audit compliance with this policy at any time, with or without notice.
6. Review and Revision
This policy shall be reviewed at least annually by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Policy Owner] and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, regulatory requirements, or organizational structure.
All revisions shall be documented with version number, date, author, and description of changes.
Policy Approval
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