Cyber Security Awareness by Australian Cyber Security Centre

Organisations should ensure that ongoing cyber security awareness training is provided to all personnel in order to assist them in understanding their security responsibilities. The content of cyber security awareness training will depend on the objectives of the organisation; however, personnel with responsibilities beyond that of a standard user will require tailored content to meet their needs.

Video Release Date: 2016

Cyber security awareness training is undertaken annually by all personnel and covers:

  • the purpose of the cyber security awareness training
  • security appointments and contacts within the organisation
  • authorised use of systems and their resources
  • protection of systems and their resources
  • reporting of cyber security incidents and suspected compromises of systems and their resources.

Reporting suspicious contact via online services

Online services such as email, internet forums, instant messaging apps and direct messaging on social media can all be used by an adversary in an attempt to elicit information from personnel. As such, personnel should be advised of what constitutes suspicious contact via online services and how to report it.

Posting work information to online services

Personnel should be advised to take special care not to post work information to online services unless authorised to do so, especially in internet forums and on social media. Even information that appears to be benign in isolation could, along with other information, have a considerable security impact. In addition, to ensure that personal opinions of individuals are not interpreted as official policy, personnel should be advised to maintain separate work and personal accounts for online services, especially when using social media.

Posting personal information to online services

Personnel should be advised that any personal information they post to online services, such as social media, could be used by an adversary to develop a detailed profile of their lifestyle in order to build a relationship with them. This relationship could then be used to attempt to elicit information or influence them to undertake specific actions, such as opening malicious emails or visiting malicious websites. Furthermore, encouraging personnel to use the privacy settings of online services can minimise who can view their information and interactions on such services.

Sending and receiving files via online services

When personnel send and receive files via online services, such as instant messaging apps and social media, they often bypass security controls put in place to detect and quarantine malicious code. Advising personnel to only send and receive files via authorised online services will ensure files are appropriately protected and scanned for malicious code.

Visit https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/guidance/cyber-security-awareness-training for more information