AT.L3-3.2.2e Practical Awareness Training

Include practical exercises in awareness training for all users, tailored by roles, to include general users, users with specialized roles, and privileged users, that are aligned with current threat scenarios and provide feedback to individuals involved in the training and their supervisors.

Source: NIST SP 800-172 3.2.2e

Discussion: Awareness training is most effective when it is complemented by practical exercises tailored to the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) of the threat. Examples of practical exercises include unannounced social engineering attempts to gain unauthorized access, collect information, or simulate the adverse impact of opening malicious email attachments or invoking, via spear phishing attacks, malicious web links. Rapid feedback is essential to reinforce desired user behavior. Training results, especially failures of personnel in critical roles, can be indicative of a potentially serious problem. It is important that senior management are made aware of such situations so that they can take appropriate remediating actions. [SP 800-181] provides guidance on role-based security training, including a lexicon and taxonomy that describes cybersecurity work via work roles.

SPRS Score: N/A