Security Awareness & Training Testing

Security Awareness & Training Testing

🧠Security Awareness & Training

🧭 Planning:
Reviewed the organization’s security awareness program, training records, and employee acknowledgment processes as part of a broader ITGC and compliance audit (linked to regulatory expectations under frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST PR.AT-1).


🎯 Objectives:

  • Confirm mandatory security training is provided to all users

  • Assess completion rates and training frequency

  • Validate phishing simulations and employee responsiveness

  • Ensure policy acknowledgments are documented


📌 Procedures:

  • Reviewed annual training modules and completion logs

  • Sampled user training records across departments

  • Examined phishing simulation reports and follow-up actions

  • Verified acknowledgment of security policies and updates


📑 Working Papers:

  • WP-ITGC-SA001: Security awareness program review

  • Training logs, LMS exports, phishing test results, policy acknowledgment reports


📊 Findings:

  • ❗ 15% of staff had not completed mandatory training within the required timeframe

  • ❗ No formal tracking of training completion by third-party contractors

  • ⚠️ Phishing simulation results showed low reporting rates in two departments

  • ⚠️ Security policy acknowledgments were missing for new hires in one business unit


🧰 Tools Used:

Learning Management System (LMS), policy management portal, phishing simulation platform (KnowBe4), Excel


✅ Recommendations:

  • Enforce completion of security training within 30 days of onboarding

  • Extend training requirements and tracking to vendors and contractors

  • Conduct phishing simulations quarterly and report outcomes by department

  • Integrate policy acknowledgment into HR onboarding workflows

  • Regularly update training content to reflect emerging threats

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