Security Awareness Training (SAT) is an important way to protect your organization against cyber-attacks. It involves training users to recognize and report suspicious emails and to encourage security-conscious behaviors.
Phishing scams, weak passwords and compromised accounts are all common causes of data breaches and financial loss against the enterprise today. Security awareness training platforms provide online portals for end users to access training materials about cybersecurity issues such as these.
Security awareness training platforms also allow admins to create training campaigns, with interactive quizzes and tests to ensure that users are learning and engaging with materials. Many security awareness training platforms also provide simulated phishing campaigns, which test how well users are able to detect phishing attacks. Some vendors also offer Outlook plugins, which allow users to report suspected phishing attacks to IT teams directly from their email inbox.
Crucially, a good security awareness training platform should offer IT teams data and analytics which show which users within an organization are at most risk of causing a data breach, and provide the tools for admins to help the users that need it most.
Security awareness training should be a crucial component of a strong cybersecurity strategy for businesses of all sizes. To help you identify the right solution for your organization, here’s our list of the top security awareness training solutions. We’ll discuss the quality of their training materials, how customizable the solution is, the data provided and what customers are saying about them.
TitanHQ is an international leader in network security. Their contribution to the security awareness training landscape is SafeTitan, a behavior driven solution that combines gamification with tailored, relevant SAT material and subsequent phishing simulations to test knowledge. There are thousands of phishing templates to choose from, with strong customization capabilities allowing for you to tailor simulations to your business. Integration with Microsoft-based software is strong and seamless, including Outlook 365, Teams and Azure AD, ADFS, SSO, G-Suite.
Overloading end-users with information is a sure-fire way to make sure information doesn’t stick and SafeTitan knows this. Training is given in short bursts of eight to ten minutes, with engaging, fun videos that are as memorable as they are informative. The shortness of the training videos ensures that end-users are not overloaded with information or lose productivity.
Phishing simulations can then be deployed to operate immediately after the user has finished the training. Admins are related to high levels of reporting, with extensive insights into user performance on phishing simulations across the company, so admins can see who needs extra help and training.The solution also follows strict compliance guidelines, complying with ISO, HIPAA, GDPR, and more.
We would recommend SafeTitan to organizations of all sizes, including MSPs, looking to enhance their security at the human layer. Pricing is supplied via a quotation request.
Hook Security provides innovative, effective security awareness training for organizations that want to train their employees to recognize and actively respond to cyber threats. Hook Security’s PsySec Security Awareness Training offers engaging content that specifically trains the parts of the brain associated with threat detection and response. To do this, Hook Security build their content around humor and repetition. Hook’s PsySec also features advanced phishing simulations and admin reporting, both of which help businesses transform their employees into a robust line of defense against cyberattacks.
PsySec’s training content is made up of two programs. PsySec Essentials, delivered annually, covers broad topics that all employees should have a solid understanding of, including phishing, password security and secure remote working. PsySec Deep Dives, delivered monthly, take complex topics and make them more accessible through real-life scenarios and entertaining narratives. Employees receive a monthly single-video course that delves into a single security topic in depth and in an immersive way.
PsySec also enables employers to test their employees’ learning with real-life, customizable phishing simulations. If employees respond incorrectly to the simulation, they’re redirected to a landing page that informs them of their error and gives them tips on how they should respond in the future. PsySec generates reports of simulation results, helping admins to identify employees that require further training, and enabling them to log their organization’s improvement in awareness over time. These API reports integrate easily with existing SOCs and dashboards.
PsySec’s powerful automation when it comes to simulation and reporting make it very user-friendly. Designed to meet CMMC and NIST compliance standards, it ticks all the boxes that any awareness training platform should, but also goes a step further by creating materials that are genuinely engaging for its users. Because of this, we recommend Hook Security’s PsySec as a strong platform for both SMBs and enterprises who want to transform their employees into cyber heroes.
Phished is a security awareness training provider that equips users with the skills to accurately identify and report email threats. With a holistic approach, it transforms users into “human firewalls” that are capable of blocking social engineering attacks such a phishing, CEO impersonation, and email fraud. This is achieved through four key features: awareness training and checkpoints, phishing/SMiShing simulations, active reporting, and threat intelligence.
Awareness training is delivered via engaging micro-learning modules, with gamified elements to motivate users. Personalized phishing simulations are sent automatically to test users’ response to attacks, with difficulty, frequency, and message type tailored to each user. Admins can also create custom phishing simulations from scratch and send them manually, if required. If a user clicks on a link in a simulation or enters their credentials into Phished’s fake phishing page, Phished provides an explanation of where they went wrong. Simulations and genuine threats can be reported through the Phished Report Button, which sits within the email client, and users are notified whether the email they reported is safe, a simulation, or a real threat. Finally, Phished uses threat intelligence to identify global malicious campaigns and alert users to any activity that may target their organization.
Phished uses the training, simulations, and reporting to produce a Behavioral Risk Score for each user, giving users and admins insight into vulnerabilities and improvement areas. Phished is easy to deploy in any email client, including Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, and users can be onboarded manually, via .csv, or via AD integration. These powerful features combined with ease of use and deployment make Phished a strong solution for businesses of any size seeking an intuitive way to train employees to recognize and report phishing threats.
ESET is a cybersecurity provider that works to support the cyber safety efforts of users worldwide, encouraging the safe and secure use of technology through their innovative, multilayered internet security solutions. ESET’s cybersecurity awareness training solution uses gamification methods that are backed by behavioral science to engage with users and create real behavioral change. It delivers comprehensive and digestible security training in a simple module-based program. Modules cover a comprehensive range of security topics and are regularly updated to ensure all advice is current. ESET supports consumers and businesses in over 200 countries and territories in their efforts to protect against cyberthreats.
ESET’s comprehensive online course takes less than 90 minutes to complete and maintains user engagement throughout the learning experience with gamified quizzes, role playing and interactive sessions. Topics covered in the cybersecurity awareness training include threat overviews, password safety, email protection, web protection, and preventive measures. The user-friendly admin dashboard lets you view training initiative progress and view individual learner status in real time and generate custom reports. The solution also provides a comprehensive phishing simulation platform, with numerous pre-built customizable email templates and a plugin for Office 365 to enable users to report suspicious emails.
ESET cybersecurity awareness training is a useful tool, helping organizations to stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat of cyberattacks, minimize the risk of human error as an entry point for attackers, and ensure that compliance requirements are met. The dashboard is simple to use, even for those without much IT training, and it’s very easy to onboard users and deploy the service, especially for Office 365 users with Azure AD integration. We would recommend this solution to businesses of all sizes that need comprehensive, easy-to-use security awareness training that helps support regulatory compliance and provides high-quality phishing simulations.
IRONSCALES is the industry’s fastest-growing cloud-based email security company. Their solution provides businesses with a combination of technology to stop advanced email attacks along with uniquely integrated Security Awareness Training (SAT) and Phishing Simulation Testing functionality. The solution can be added to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace in minutes using native APIs eliminating configuration changes and will never risk interruptions to your email delivery.
On the technology side, the platform uses AI to continuously detect and remediate advanced phishing attacks like BEC, account takeovers, VIP Impersonations, and more.
For security awareness training, the platform makes use of the AI self-learning to help admins create SAT campaigns with the ideal video content and tests for specific users or groups. For instance, if a particular department, VIPs, or individual users have been targeted with a vendor impersonation attack, the system will suggest relevant training content for those users.
Phishing Simulation Testing is also included, and it takes advantage of the same intel to create phishing simulations modeled on the millions of real-world examples that IRONSCALES analyses every day. If users click on simulated phishing emails, they are taken to a customizable landing page to recommend steps to take to avoid being phished in the future. If an employee suspects a simulated or real email to be a threat, they can simply click the IRONSCALES report phishing button in their email client to have it automatically inspected by IRONSCALES and reviewed by their IT/Security team.
IRONSCALES also provides a range of reporting options so admins can track how well users are doing with their security training and phishing simulations, and direct additional training to employees based on their results and progress.
IRONSCALES is a strong anti-phishing and security awareness training solution that we would recommend to organizations looking for a single unified solution with powerful protection against phishing attacks alongside user training.
Proofpoint is one of the world’s leading email security vendors, protecting more than 100 million email inboxes around the world. In 2018, Proofpoint acquired Wombat Security, which is now sold as Proofpoint Security Awareness Training. This service offers personalized security awareness training, based on Proofpoint’s industry leading threat intelligence. Proofpoint provides interactive training, videos and materials, phishing email reporting and analysis, and simulated email threat campaigns. Proofpoint provides multi-national support for this platform.
Proofpoint’s training materials are popular with users. They offer a growing library of training content, including modules, videos, posters images and articles- designed to promote better security behaviours and to help users to spot attacks like phishing and signs of account compromise. Proofpoint’s training materials are available in 35 languages, with each module taking a user around 15 minutes to complete. Training materials are available on demand, and are customizable for your users.
Alongside training materials, Proofpoint offers threat simulation to test how effectively your users can spot malicious emails and help you to target awareness training to the right people within your organization. Proofpoint provides over 700 different phishing templates to test multiple types of malicious emails, including those with malicious attachments, embedded links and requests for personal data. Proofpoint Security Awareness Training is now available as part of Proofpoint Essentials, an email security package which includes Proofpoint’s leading email gateway, encryption, and security awareness training, making it a strong solution for organizations looking for awareness training alongside email security.
You can read our full review of Proofpoint Security Awareness Training here.
KnowBe4 is the market leader in security awareness training, offering a range free and paid for training tools and simulated phishing campaigns. They have over 30,000 global customers for their security awareness training solutions. They offer a huge library of security awareness training content, including presentations, videos and quizzes. They also offer a comprehensive phishing simulation platform, allowing organizations to create custom template and campaigns. KnowBe4 also provide awareness training campaigns for admins and managements.
KnowBe4 is one of the fastest growing security awareness training organizations, dominating the market in terms of customer growth. They offer a range of free tools, which help organizations to test their employee’s security awareness, which has helped their platform to reach a wide audience comprising of both small businesses and some larger enterprise customers. Their training content is award winning, with over 1000 different training materials on offer, comprising of interactive modules, videos, games, posters and newsletters.
KnowBe4 also offer reporting and insights to track the effectiveness of your security awareness training campaigns. They offer a range of reports, with the option to generate training reports for specific users or specific groups, to help organizations ensure that their most at-risk users are engaging with awareness training materials and simulated phishing campaigns. The KnowBe4 platform is comprehensive, and a good option for most organizations looking to implement a security awareness training platform.
You can read Expert Insights’ complete review of KnowBe4 here.
Infosec IQ awareness and training provides security awareness training, designed to educate and motivate employees to be more security conscious. Infosec is known among IT professionals for its IT security training courses and bootcamps. Infosec IQ is their security awareness training platform, which provides training, phishing simulation campaigns, and remote working training, to help protect your employees from social engineering attacks and risky behaviours.
Infosec IQ offers over 700 different training courses, which include interactive training modules, microlearning videos, assessments, posters, infographics, campaign kits and more. Their content library is extensive, able to tailor for a range of audiences and different levels of security knowledge throughout the organization. Infosec also allow you to run simulated phishing attacks, with a library of phishing templates and customizable resources to help test your employees.
Infosec allows you to measure your organizations compliance with awareness training and the overall ‘phish rate’ with automated campaign reports and assessments to help you target training in departments where security breaches may occur. Infosec is one of the fastest growing security awareness training vendors, offering a growing number of security courses, aimed at both enterprises and small and midsized organizations.
Cofense PhishMe is an awareness training platform that aims to educate your users on the specific threats your organization is facing. PhishMe is focussed on phishing simulation, training users to better spot phishing attacks inside their email environment and helping IT teams to identity people who are at risk of data breach. They provide customizable phishing templates, and then automatically provide education materials to users who are susceptible to phishing attacks.
Cofense offers a range of pre-prepared phishing scenarios – which include landing pages and malicious attachments, that can be customized. Cofense streamlines set up, allowing you to set dates throughout the year for campaigns to run. They also use machine learning to recommend phishing scenarios, based on your industry and the most common attacks they are seeing. Their Responsive Delivery feature means that users will only receive simulated phishing emails when they are most active in their mailbox.
Alongside PhishMe, Cofense offers a full security awareness platform: Cofense Security Awareness LMS. Cofense offers a range of training materials delivered in short modules, with admin visibility over which employees are engaging with learning materials. Cofense are also known for their threat detection platform: ‘Cofense Triage and Cofense Reporter.’ Triage implements a ‘Report Phish’ button directly into users’ email inboxes, allowing them to report any suspicious emails to IT admins. Triage helps admins to manage these email reports, performing automated email analysis. This helps IT teams to better detect phishing emails inside their email envrionment.
Barracuda Security Awareness Training helps businesses protect their users from social engineering attacks with continuous simulation and security training for employees. Simulation and training content provided in this platform is fully customizable. Barracuda has a focus on data analytics and reporting, to demonstrate ROI and ensuring that users are engaged with training. Barracuda acquired PhishLine in January 2018, and has now integrated the service into its Total Email Protection platform. This makes it a good option for organizations looking to implement security awareness training alongside an email security platform.
Barracuda offers hundreds of simulation templates, which includes landing pages, risk assessment surveys and training content. New simulation and training content are added daily, reflecting recent threats identified by Barracuda’s threat detection platform. Barracuda also offers a built in ‘report phish’ button, which allows users to report suspicious emails to IT admins. Their training materials are regularly updated to ensure that materials stay relevant, with a wide range of different training materials available.
Barracuda provides important insights into which employees represent a potential risk of causing a data breach and so require more security training. They provide huge amounts of data, quantifying your users risk by impact and likelihood scores, helping you do deliver awareness training to the employees and teams that need it most. Barracuda offer gamified awareness training, with leader boards and user levelling systems that encourage users to spot and report threats.
FAQs
What Is Security Awareness Training?
Security awareness training is an educational program given to a company’s users in order to educate them about current and topical cybersecurity issues, security hygiene, and the dangers one can encounter when traversing the web. It strives to educate users on the steps they can take to protect themselves and the company network when faced with a range of real life cybersecurity challenges, training them to think independently and critically.
3 Key Questions To Ask SAT Vendors
- How Is The Training Given?
Let’s face it, no one likes having reams of information to read on a PowerPoint slide. It inspires people to switch off rather than engage, rendering your expensive SAT program ineffective against threat actors. More successful and impactful SAT programs model themselves on the principle of kinesthetic learning–or, learning by doing.
The best SAT programs will blend interactive videos, presentations, and quizzes that allow users to learn in a fun, creative, and memorable way at a pace that suits them. This interactive approach to learning helps your users to think critically–an important skill to have when they are inevitably faced with a real phishing email in their inbox and it’s down to them to respond accordingly.
- How Frequently Is The Platform Updated?
The threat landscape is one that is ever changing. It’s a universal fact of (cybersecurity) life. The threats and attacks we see today have come a long way from fifteen, ten, and even five years ago. They’re getting more nuanced and more sophisticated, as well as finding more avenues to capitalize on. With threat actors constantly devising new schemes, your users need to stay ahead of the curve. As such, it’s important your users stay ahead of the curve with up-to-date training modules. When inquiring about SAT programs, be sure to ask how frequently the product is updated with new and current training modules.
- Does The Platform Include Phishing Simulations?
Phishing simulations, considered an important part of SAT, is simulated phishing emails sent out to users in order to continue to train and test the knowledge of a company’s users to see how they respond to “real” phishing emails in their inboxes. A lot of people tend to respond well to reinforced and repetitive learning, so after SAT programs have ended, phishing simulations can be configured to be deployed immediately after to help reinforce what users have learned and continue to help them think critically. These simulations are also important in flagging with admins who need further training. While most SAT vendors include phishing simulations as part of the package, not all of them do, so it’s worth inquiring while shopping around.
Why Do I Need SAT Training For My Users?
While a lot of the technology that has been developed to tackle cybersecurity threats, there are still attacks that evade these defenses. There are plenty of phishing scams that slip past these security parameters and tools, as well as more direct attacks that can occur within your company building that your users might not notice.
Essentially, there will be plenty of times when the last line of defense between your company and a devastating breach and data loss is your users–so having them trained for these eventualities is absolutely critical.
Security awareness training teaches your users to think critically about their information and data hygiene, how they communicate, what they get in their inbox, and how to act and store information in their physical offices.
