Security awareness essentials
A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 6 details that are specific to your organisation.
- Length
- 35 min
- Lessons
- 6 lessons
- Frequency
- At hire + annually
- Last reviewed
- 8 Oct 2026
Warehouse supervisor opens a "shipping invoice" and the file asks to "enable content"
Try it: this is one of 13 interactive activities in the course.
What's included
Three pieces that work together
Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.
Self-paced course
Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.
- 6 lessons, about 35 minutes
- 2 video slots (you add the videos)
- Flashcards, process, timeline, sorting activity and quizzes
- 12-question final check, 80% to pass
Live session deck
An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.
- 10 slides
- Quiz, word cloud, poll, scale slides
- A closing slide for your contacts
Two surveys
Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.
- Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
- 30-day check-in
- Anonymous by default
- Results feed your next refresher
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, learners can
Each objective and the lesson that covers it.
| ID | Objective | Source | Where it's covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| TO 1.0 | Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment | - | Whole course |
| LO 65.1.1 | Explain why people are the most targeted part of security | Verizon DBIR 2026; FBI IC3 2025 | Lesson 1: The threat today |
| LO 65.2.1 | Describe the stages of a typical attack, from lure to data theft | NIST SP 800-50r1 | Lesson 2: Anatomy of an attack |
| LO 65.3.1 | Spot red flags across email, text, phone, web and USB | PCI DSS 12.6.3.1 | Lesson 3: Spot the red flags |
| LO 65.4.1 | Apply core habits: passphrases, MFA, updates, locking screens, safe data handling + your info | 314.4(e); PCI 12.6.3.2 | Lesson 4: Protect yourself |
| LO 65.5.1 | Report incidents fast through the right channel + your info | 314.4(h) incident response | Lesson 5: Respond & report |
Your part: what a template can't do for you
- Your workplace details: fill in the 6 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
- Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.
Course outline
6 lessons, about 35 minutes
Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.
1The threat today
3 pages
7 min
The threat today
3 pages
2Anatomy of an attack
2 pages
5 min
Anatomy of an attack
2 pages
3Spot the red flags
3 pages
7 min
Spot the red flags
3 pages
4Protect yourself
3 pages
7 min
Protect yourself
3 pages
5Respond & report
2 pages
5 min
Respond & report
2 pages
6Final assessment
Assessment
4 min
Final assessment
Assessment
Live deck and surveys
10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop
Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
- Overall rating 5 stars
- Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
- What was most useful? multi-select
- Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
- Is multi-factor authentication turned on for your work and personal email? multiple choice
- Which channel do you think attackers would use on you first? ranking
- How confident are you that you'd recognise an MFA-fatigue or fake help-desk call? 1-5 scale
- If I clicked something bad, I'd feel safe reporting it right away. 1-5 scale
- One thing we should change or add open text
- Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
- Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
- How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
- Do you know where to find the phishing Report button and the security hotline? yes / no / not sure
- A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
- Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking
Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.
Make it yours
6 fields to fill in, and you're ready
Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.
- Security hotline
{{SECURITY_HOTLINE}} - Phish report button howto
{{PHISH_REPORT_BUTTON_HOWTO}} - MFA setup guide
{{MFA_SETUP_GUIDE}} - Password manager
{{PASSWORD_MANAGER}} - Acceptable use policy link
{{ACCEPTABLE_USE_POLICY_LINK}} - LMS or record system
{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
FAQ
Common questions
Can I run security awareness essentials training online?
The course itself is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session. Whether online delivery meets your local rules depends on the law that applies to you, so check FTC Safeguards Rule 16 CFR 314.4(e) or ask your own counsel.
How often is this training needed?
At hire + annually; short monthly refreshers recommended.
Who needs this training?
All employees and contractors with email or system access.
What records should I keep?
Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when. Check the retention period that applies to you in FTC Safeguards Rule 16 CFR 314.4(e).
Can I edit the content?
Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply. Keep anything your own law requires you to cover.
Related templates
Often taught together
Phishing & social engineering
All employees; variant: finance/AP and · Privacy & Security
PCI DSS awareness for card-handling staff
Retail cashiers · Privacy & Security
California consumer privacy (CCPA/CPRA)
Customer service · Privacy & Security
US state privacy laws overview
Privacy · Privacy & Security
Ready to run it?
Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.