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Special Publication (SP) 800-50
Building an Information Technology Security Awareness and Training Program
October 2003
September 12, 2024
SP 800-50 is withdrawn and superseded in its entirety by SP 800-50 revision 1

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The attached publication has been superseded by the following publication(s):Series/Number
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SP 800-50 revision 1
Building a Cybersecurity and Privacy Learning Program
Marian Merritt; Susan Hansche; Dr. Brenda Ellis; Kevin Sanchez-Cherry; Julie
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September 12, 2024
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-50r1

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Date updated: September 11, 2024

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Building an Information
Technology Security Awarenessand Training Program
Mark Wilson and Joan Hash

C O M P U T E R

S E C U R I T Y

Computer Security Division
Information Technology Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8933
October 2003

U.S. Department of Commerce
Donald L. Evans, Secretary

Technology Administration
Phillip J. Bond, Under Secretary for Technology

National Institute of Standards and Technology
Arden L. Bement, Jr., Director

Reports on Computer Systems Technology
The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the Nation’s
measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof ofconcept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of
information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of technical, physical,
administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy ofsensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series
reports on ITL’s research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security, and its collaborative
activities with industry, government, and academic organizations.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEWASHINGTON: 2003

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeInternet: bookstore.gpo.gov — Phone: (202) 512-1800 — Fax: (202) 512-2250
Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Authority
This document has been developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in
furtherance of its statutory responsibilities under the Federal Information Security Management Act(FISMA) of 2002, Public Law 107-347.
NIST is responsible for developing standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements, forproviding adequate information security for all agency operations and assets, but such standards andguidelines shall not apply to national security systems. This guideline is consistent with the requirementsof the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Section 8b(3), Securing Agency
Information Systems, as analyzed in A-130, Appendix IV: Analysis of Key Sections. Supplemental
information is provided A-130, Appendix III.
This guideline has been prepared for use by federal agencies. It may be used by nongovernmentalorganizations on a voluntary basis and is not subject to copyright. (Attribution would be appreciated by
NIST.)
Nothing in this document should be taken to contradict standards and guidelines made mandatory andbinding on federal agencies by the Secretary of Commerce under statutory authority. Nor should theseguidelines be interpreted as altering or superseding the existing authorities of the Secretary of Commerce,
Director of the OMB, or any other federal official.

Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order todescribe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply
recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it
intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the
purpose.

NIST Special Publication 800-50

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................iii
Executive Summary..............................................................................................................ES-1
1.

Introduction .........................................................................................................................1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5

2.

Components: Awareness, Training, Education ...............................................................7
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5

3.

4.2

Developing Awareness Material ............................................................................... 23
4.1.1 Selecting Awareness Topics .........................................................................24
4.1.2 Sources of Awareness Material.....................................................................25
Developing Training Material .................................................................................... 25
4.2.1 A Model for Building Training Courses: NIST Special Pub. 800-16 ..............26
4.2.2 Sources of Training Courses and Material ....................................................28

Implementing the Awareness and Training Program ....................................................31
5.1
5.2
5.3

6.

Structuring an Agency Awareness and Training Program ........................................ 11
Conducting a Needs Assessment............................................................................. 16
Developing an Awareness and Training Strategy and Plan...................................... 19
Establishing Priorities................................................................................................ 20
Setting the Bar .......................................................................................................... 21
Funding the Security Awareness and Training Program .......................................... 22

Developing Awareness and Training Material................................................................23
4.1

5.

The Continuum ........................................................................................................... 7
Awareness .................................................................................................................. 8
Training ....................................................................................................................... 9
Education .................................................................................................................... 9Professional Development ........................................................................................ 10

Designing an Awareness and Training Program ...........................................................11
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6

4.

Purpose....................................................................................................................... 1
Audience ..................................................................................................................... 1
Scope.......................................................................................................................... 2
Policy .......................................................................................................................... 2
Roles and Responsibilities.......................................................................................... 3
1.5.1 Agency Head...................................................................................................3
1.5.2 Chief Information Officer .................................................................................3
1.5.3 Information Technology Security Program Manager .......................................4
1.5.4 Managers ........................................................................................................4
1.5.5 Users ...............................................................................................................5

Communicating the Plan........................................................................................... 31
Techniques for Delivering Awareness Material......................................................... 32
Techniques for Delivering Training Material ............................................................. 34

Post-Implementation.........................................................................................................35
6.1
6.2
6.3

Monitoring Compliance ............................................................................................. 36
Evaluation and Feedback ......................................................................................... 36
Managing Change..................................................................................................... 38i

NIST Special Publication 800-50

6.4
6.5

Ongoing Improvement (“Raising the Bar”) ................................................................ 38
Program Success Indicators ..................................................................................... 39

APPENDIX A— SAMPLE NEEDS ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRE ...... A-1
APPENDIX B— SAMPLE AWARENESS AND TRAINING METRIC........................................ B-1
APPENDIX C— SAMPLE AWARENESS AND TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN TEMPLATE .... C-1
APPENDIX D— SAMPLE AWARENESS POSTERS ............................................................... D-1
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2-1: The IT Security Learning Continuum.........................................................................8
Figure 3-1: Model 1 – Centralized Program Management ..........................................................12
Figure 3-2: Model 2 - Partially Decentralized Program Management .........................................14
Figure 3-3: Model 3 – Fully Decentralized Program Management .............................................15
Figure 3-4: Techniques for Gathering Information as Part of a Needs Assessment...................17
Figure 3-5: Understanding Overarching Agency-Specific Issues ...............................................18
Figure 3-6: Key Questions to be Answered in Performing a Needs Assessment .......................18
Figure 3-7: Required Awareness and Training Versus Current Effort.........................................19
Figure 4-1: Sample IT Security Training Matrix ..........................................................................27
Figure 4-2: Key Questions – Develop Training Material In-house or Outsource? ......................28
Figure 5-1: Key Steps Leading to Program Implementation .......................................................31
Figure 6-1: Key Steps Leading to Post-Implementation .............................................................35
Figure 6-2: Evaluation and Feedback Techniques .....................................................................37ii

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Acknowledgements
We would like to express our thanks to George Bieber, Department of Defense; Carolyn Schmidt, NIST
IT Security Office; Jaren Doherty, National Institutes of Health (NIH); Becky Vasvary, National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Richard Stone, Internal Revenue Service(IRS); and Pauline Bowen, Richard Kissel, and Tanya Brewer-Joneas of NIST. We would also like tothank the NIST Technical Editor, Elizabeth Lennon, for editing this document.
Noteworthy contributions were also made by Ann L. Brown, Department of Health and Human Services(DHHS) Indian Health Service; Carolyn O’Connor, DHHS/Program Support Center (PSC); and Charles
A. Filius, DHHS/PSC.
Finally, we wish to thank the members of the Executive Board of the Federal Information Systems
Security Educators’ Association (FISSEA) - Barbara Cuffie, Social Security Administration (SSA);
Patricia Black, Treasury Department; and Dara Murray, DHHS/PSC.

iii

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Executive Summary
NIST Special Publication 800-50, Building An Information Technology Security Awareness and Training
Program, provides guidance for building an effective information technology (IT) security program andsupports requirements specified in the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002
and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Appendix III. A strong IT security
program cannot be put in place without significant attention given to training agency IT users on security
policy, procedures, and techniques, as well as the various management, operational, and technical controls
necessary and available to secure IT resources. In addition, those in the agency who manage the IT
infrastructure need to have the necessary skills to carry out their assigned duties effectively. Failure to
give attention to the area of security training puts an enterprise at great risk because security of agency
resources is as much a human issue as it is a technology issue.
Everyone has a role to play in the success of a security awareness and training program but agency heads,
Chief Information Officers (CIOs), program officials, and IT security program managers have key
responsibilities to ensure that an effective program is established agency wide. The scope and content of
the program must be tied to existing security program directives and established agency security policy.
Within agency IT security program policy, there must exist clear requirements for the awareness andtraining program.
The document identifies the four critical steps in the life cycle of an IT security awareness and training
program:

Awareness and Training Program Design (Section 3): In this step, an agency wide needs
assessment is conducted and a training strategy is developed and approved. This strategic planningdocument identifies implementation tasks to be performed in support of established agency security
training goals.

Awareness and Training Material Development (Section 4): This step focuses on available
training sources, scope, content, and development of training material, including solicitation ofcontractor assistance if needed.

Program Implementation (Section 5): This step addresses effective communication and roll out of
the awareness and training program. It also addresses options for delivery of awareness and training
material (web-based, distance learning, video, on-site, etc.).



Post-Implementation (Section 6): This step gives guidance on keeping the program current andmonitoring its effectiveness. Effective feedback methods are described (surveys, focus groups,
benchmarking, etc.).

The document also discusses three common models used in managing a security training function.
Centralized: All responsibility resides with a central authority (e.g., CIO and IT security program
manager).

Partially Decentralized: Training policy and strategy lie with a central authority, but implementation
responsibilities are distributed.



Fully Decentralized: Only policy development resides with a central authority, and all other
responsibilities are delegated to individual agency components.

ES-1

NIST Special Publication 800-50

The type of model considered should be based on an understanding and assessment of budget and otherresource allocation, organization size, consistency of mission, and geographic dispersion of theorganization.
The document is a companion publication to NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology
Security Training Requirements: A Role- and Performance-Based Model. The two publications arecomplementary – SP 800-50 works at a higher strategic level, discussing how to build an IT security
awareness and training program, while SP 800-16 is at a lower tactical level, describing an approach torole-based IT security training.

ES-2

NIST Special Publication 800-50

1.

Introduction

Federal agencies and organizations cannot protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
information in today’s highly networked systems environment without ensuring that all people involved
in using and managing IT:
Understand their roles and responsibilities related to the organizational mission;

Understand the organization’s IT security policy, procedures, and practices; andHave at least adequate knowledge of the various management, operational, and technical controls
required and available to protect the IT resources for which they are responsible.

As cited in audit reports, periodicals, and conference presentations, it is generally understood by the IT
security professional community that people are one of the weakest links in attempts to secure systems
and networks. The “people factor” - not technology - is key to providing an adequate and appropriate
level of security. If people are the key, but are also a weak link, more and better attention must be paid tothis “asset.” A robust and enterprise wide awareness and training program is paramount to ensuring thatpeople understand their IT security responsibilities, organizational policies, and how to properly use andprotect the IT resources entrusted to them.
1.1

PurposeThis document provides guidelines for building and maintaining a comprehensive awareness and training
program, as part of an organization’s IT security program. The guidance is presented in a life-cycle
approach, ranging from designing (Section 3), developing (Section 4), and implementing (Section 5) anawareness and training program, through post-implementation evaluation of the program (Section 6). The
document includes guidance on how IT security professionals can identify awareness and training needs,
develop a training plan, and get organizational buy-in for the funding of awareness and training program
efforts. This document also describes how to:

Select awareness and training topics;Find sources of awareness and training material;Implement awareness and training material, using a variety of methods;



Evaluate the effectiveness of the program; andUpdate and improve the focus as technology and organizational priorities change.

1.2

Audience

This guidance is intended to be useful to several key audiences in an organization, including, but notlimited to: the CIO, the IT security program manager1 and staff, managers (including system andapplication owners) and their contractors, and agency training coordinators. The success of an
1

Under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) this position is titled Senior Agency Information
Security Officer. While this guideline uses the term “IT security program manager,” it is understood that organizations use
a variety of terms to identify the person responsible for the department’s or agency’s IT security program. For example,
some organizations use “information systems security manager,” “information systems security officer,” “automated dataprocessing (ADP) security officer,” “automated information systems (AIS) security officer,” or “information assurance
security officer.” Regardless of the term used, the position (or role) being described is that of the person responsible for theorganization’s enterprisewide IT security program.

1

NIST Special Publication 800-50

organization’s awareness and training program, and that of the overall IT security program, depend on theability of these people to work toward a common goal of protecting the organization’s information and
IT-related resources.
1.3

Scope

The scope of this guideline covers what an organization should do to design, develop, implement, andmaintain an IT security awareness and training program, as a part of the IT security program. The scopeincludes awareness and training needs of all users of an organization’s IT, from employees to supervisors
and functional managers, to executive-level managers. The guideline also discusses professional
development (i.e., professionalization) and certification issues – topics that continue to gain acceptance inorganizations. While it mentions and defines IT security education, this document does not address the
topic in-depth.
The document is a companion publication to NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology
Security Training Requirements: A Role- and Performance-Based Model. The two publications arecomplementary – SP 800-50 works at a higher strategic level, discussing how to build an IT security
awareness and training program, while SP 800-16 is at a lower tactical level, describing an approach torole-based IT security training.
1.4

PolicyOMB Circular A-130, Appendix III, addresses training as an element of a system security plan for ageneral support system and as an element of an application security plan for a major application.2
Regarding the training element of a system security plan, the Circular states, “Ensure that all individuals
are appropriately trained in how to fulfill their security responsibilities before allowing them access tothe system. Such training shall ensure that employees are versed in the rules of the system . . . andapprise them about available technical assistance and technical security products and techniques.
Behavior consistent with the rules of the system and periodic refresher training shall be required forcontinued access to the system.” The Circular states that as part of an application security plan, “Before
allowing individuals access to the application, ensure that all individuals receive specialized training
focused on their responsibilities and the application rules. This may be in addition to the training
required for access to a system. Such training may vary from a notification at the time of access (e.g., formembers of the public using an information retrieval application) to formal training (e.g., for an
employee that works with a high-risk application).”
Additionally, the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 tasks the head of eachagency with the responsibility to “ensure that the agency has trained personnel sufficient to assist theagency in complying with (these requirements) and related policies, procedures, standards, andguidelines(.)” FISMA also requires that the head of each agency “delegate to the agency Chief
Information Officer (CIO) (or a comparable official), the authority to ensure compliance with therequirements imposed on the agency, including . . . training and oversee personnel with significant
responsibilities for information security . . . (.)” FISMA also states that the required “agency wide
information security program” shall include “security awareness training to inform personnel, including
contractors and other users of information systems that support the operations and assets of the agency,of:(i) information security risks associated with their activities; and2

Knowing what security training is necessary for users, system/network administrators, and managers of a system orapplication will help the system or application owner/manager properly budget for those security-related needs.

2

NIST Special Publication 800-50(ii) their responsibilities in complying with agency policies and procedures designed to reduce theserisks(.)”

Within the agency IT security program policy, there should be a clear and distinct section devoted toagency wide requirements for the awareness and training program. Topics documented within theawareness and training program policy should include roles and responsibilities, development of program
strategy and a program plan, implementation of the program plan, and maintenance of the awareness andtraining program.
1.5

Roles and Responsibilities

While it is important to understand the policies that require agencies to develop and implement awarenessand training, it is crucial that agencies understand who has responsibility for IT security awareness andtraining. This section identifies and describes those within an organization that have responsibility for IT
security awareness and training.
Some organizations have a mature IT security program, while other organizations may be struggling toachieve basic staffing, funding, and support. The form that an awareness and training program takes canvary greatly from agency to agency. This is due, in part, to the maturity of that program.3 One way tohelp ensure that a program matures is to develop and document IT security awareness and training
responsibilities for those key positions upon which the success of the program depends.4
1.5.1

Agency Head

Agency heads must ensure that high priority is given to effective security awareness and training for theworkforce. This includes implementation of a viable IT security program with a strong awareness andtraining component. Agency heads should:Designate a CIO;

Assign responsibility for IT security;Ensure that an agency wide IT security program is implemented, is well-supported by resources andbudget, and is effective; and

Ensure that the agency has enough sufficiently trained personnel to protect its IT resources.

1.5.2

Chief Information Officer

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are tasked by the FISMA to administer training and oversee personnel
with significant responsibilities for information security. CIOs should work with the agency IT security
program manager to:Establish overall strategy for the IT security awareness and training program;Ensure that the agency head, senior managers, system and data owners, and others understand theconcepts and strategy of the security awareness and training program, and are informed of the
progress of the program’s implementation;3

Differences in organizational culture are indicated by the placement of the IT security program, funding support, and accessto and support by management. See Section 3.1 for examples of different awareness and training program models that canbe implemented in an agency.
IT security awareness and training responsibilities can be documented in agency policy, position descriptions, and whereapplicable, in performance or individual development plans.

4

3

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Ensure that the agency’s IT security awareness and training program is funded;Ensure the training of agency personnel with significant security responsibilities;Ensure that all users are sufficiently trained in their security responsibilities; and

Ensure that effective tracking and reporting mechanisms are in place.

1.5.3

Information Technology Security Program Manager

The IT security program manager has tactical-level responsibility for the awareness and training program.
In this role, the program manager should:

Ensure that awareness and training material developed is appropriate and timely for the intended
audiences;

Ensure that awareness and training material is effectively deployed to reach the intended audience;Ensure that users and managers have an effective way to provide feedback on the awareness andtraining material and its presentation;Ensure that awareness and training material is reviewed periodically and updated when necessary;and

Assist in establishing a tracking and reporting strategy.

1.5.4

Managers

Managers have responsibility for complying with IT security awareness and training requirements
established for their users. Managers should:Work with the CIO and IT security program manager to meet shared responsibilities;Serve in the role of system owner and/or data owner, where applicable;5

Consider developing individual development plans (IDPs) for users in roles with significant security
responsibilities;



Promote the professional development and certification of the IT security program staff, full-time orpart-time security officers, and others with significant security responsibilities;Ensure that all users (including contractors) of their systems (i.e., general support systems and major
applications) are appropriately trained in how to fulfill their security responsibilities before allowing
them access;Ensure that users (including contractors) understand specific rules of each system and application
they use; and

Work to reduce errors and omissions by users due to lack of awareness and/or training.

5

Managers who serve as owners of general support systems and major applications have responsibility for the overall IT
security of those systems and applications, including ensuring that all users are appropriately trained.

4

NIST Special Publication 800-50

1.5.5

Users

Users are the largest audience in any organization and are the single most important group of people who
can help to reduce unintentional errors and IT vulnerabilities. Users may include employees, contractors,
foreign or domestic guest researchers, other agency personnel, visitors, guests, and other collaborators or
associates requiring access. Users must:

Understand and comply with agency security policies and procedures;

Be appropriately trained in the rules of behavior for the systems and applications to which they haveaccess;Work with management to meet training needs;

Keep software/ applications updated with security patches; and

Be aware of actions they can take to better protect their agency’s information. These actions include,
but are not limited to: proper password usage, data backup, proper antivirus protection, reporting any
suspected incidents or violations of security policy, and following rules established to avoid social
engineering attacks and rules to deter the spread of spam or viruses and worms.

5

NIST Special Publication 800-50

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6NIST Special Publication 800-50

2.

Components: Awareness, Training, Education

A successful IT security program consists of: 1) developing IT security policy that reflects business needs
tempered by known risks; 2) informing users of their IT security responsibilities, as documented inagency security policy and procedures; and 3) establishing processes for monitoring and reviewing the
program.6
Security awareness and training should be focused on the organization’s entire user population.
Management should set the example for proper IT security behavior within an organization. An
awareness program should begin with an effort that can be deployed and implemented in various ways
and is aimed at all levels of the organization including senior and executive managers. The effectivenessof this effort will usually determine the effectiveness of the awareness and training program. This is also
true for a successful IT security program.
An awareness and training program is crucial in that it is the vehicle for disseminating information thatusers, including managers, need in order to do their jobs. In the case of an IT security program, it is thevehicle to be used to communicate security requirements across the enterprise.
An effective IT security awareness and training program explains proper rules of behavior for the use ofagency IT systems and information. The program communicates IT security policies and procedures thatneed to be followed. This must precede and lay the basis for any sanctions imposed due tononcompliance. Users first should be informed of the expectations. Accountability must be derived froma fully informed, well-trained, and aware workforce.
This section describes the relationship between awareness, training, and education – the awarenesstraining-education continuum.
2.1

The Continuum

Learning is a continuum; it starts with awareness, builds to training, and evolves into education. The
continuum is illustrated in Figure 2-1. The continuum is further described in Chapter 2 of NIST Special
Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements: A Role- and PerformanceBased Model, available at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html.7

6

7

An effective IT security awareness and training program can succeed only if the material used in the program is firmly basedon agency IT security program policy and IT issue-specific policies. If policies are written clearly and concisely, then theawareness and training material – based on the policies – will be built on a firm foundation.
The continuum is mentioned here and shown in Figure 2-1 to show the conceptual relationship between awareness, training,and education as described in NIST Special Publication 800-16. For the purposes of this guideline, clear boundaries are
established between the three methods of learning.

7

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Figure 2-1: The IT Security Learning Continuum

2.2

Awareness

Security awareness efforts are designed to change behavior
or reinforce good security practices. Awareness is definedin NIST Special Publication 800-16 as follows:“Awareness is not training. The purpose of awarenesspresentations is simply to focus attention on security.
Awareness presentations are intended to allow individuals
to recognize IT security concerns and respond accordingly.

8

Awareness is not training. The purpose ofawareness presentations is simply to focus
attention on security. Awarenesspresentations are intended to allow
individuals to recognize IT security
concerns and respond accordingly.

NIST Special Publication 800-50

In awareness activities, the learner is the recipient of information, whereas the learner in a training
environment has a more active role. Awareness relies on reaching broad audiences with attractive
packaging techniques. Training is more formal, having a goal of building knowledge and skills tofacilitate the job performance.”
An example of a topic for an awareness session (or awareness material to be distributed) is virus
protection. The subject can simply and briefly be addressed by describing what a virus is, what canhappen if a virus infects a user’s system, what the user should do to protect the system, and what the user
should do if a virus is discovered. A list of possible awareness topics can be found in Section 4.1.1.
A bridge or transitional stage between awareness and training consists of what NIST Special Publication
800-16 calls Security Basics and Literacy. The basics and literacy material is a core set of terms, topics,
and concepts. Once an organization has established a program that increases the general level of security
awareness and vigilance, the basics and literacy material allow for the development or evolution of amore robust awareness program. It can also provide the foundation for the training program.
2.3

Training

Training is defined in NIST Special Publication 800-16 as
Training strives to produce relevant
follows: “The ‘Training’ level of the learning continuumand needed security skills andstrives to produce relevant and needed security skills andcompetencies.
competencies by practitioners of functional specialties otherthan IT security (e.g., management, systems design anddevelopment, acquisition, auditing).” The most significant difference between training and awareness isthat training seeks to teach skills, which allow a person to perform a specific function, while awarenessseeks to focus an individual’s attention on an issue or set of issues. The skills acquired during training arebuilt upon the awareness foundation, in particular, upon the security basics and literacy material. A
training curriculum must not necessarily lead to a formal degree from an institution of higher learning;
however, a training course may contain much of the same material found in a course that a college oruniversity includes in a certificate or degree program.
An example of training is an IT security course for system administrators, which should address in detailthe management controls, operational controls, and technical controls that should be implemented.
Management controls include policy, IT security program management, risk management, and life-cycle
security. Operational controls include personnel and user issues, contingency planning, incident handling,awareness and training, computer support and operations, and physical and environmental security issues.
Technical controls include identification and authentication, logical access controls, audit trails, andcryptography. (See NIST Special Publication 800-12, An Introduction to Computer Security: The NIST
Handbook, for in-depth discussion of these controls(http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html).)
2.4

Education

Education is defined in NIST Special Publication 800-16 as
follows: “The ‘Education’ level integrates all of the security
skills and competencies of the various functional specialties
into a common body of knowledge, adds a multidisciplinary
study of concepts, issues, and principles (technological andsocial), and strives to produce IT security specialists andprofessionals capable of vision and pro-active response.”9

Education integrates all of the security
skills and competencies of the various
functional specialties into a common
body of knowledge . . . and strives to
produce IT security specialists andprofessionals capable of vision and proactive response.

NIST Special Publication 800-50

An example of education is a degree program at a college or university. Some people take a course or
several courses to develop or enhance their skills in a particular discipline. This is training as opposed toeducation. Many colleges and universities offer certificate programs, wherein a student may take two,six, or eight classes, for example, in a related discipline, and is awarded a certificate upon completion.
Often, these certificate programs are conducted as a joint effort between schools and software or hardware
vendors. These programs are more characteristic of training than education. Those responsible forsecurity training need to assess both types of programs and decide which one better addresses identified
needs.
2.5

Professional Development

Professional development is intended to ensure that users, from beginner to the career security
professional, possess a required level of knowledge and competence necessary for their roles.
Professional development validates skills through certification. Such development and successful
certification can be termed “professionalization.” The preparatory work to testing for such a certification
normally includes study of a prescribed body of knowledge or technical curriculum, and may besupplemented by on-the-job experience.
The movement toward professionalization within the IT security field can be seen among IT security
officers, IT security auditors, IT contractors, and system/network administrators, and is evolving. There
are two types of certification: general and technical. The general certification focuses on establishing afoundation of knowledge on the many aspects of the IT security profession. The technical certification
focuses primarily on the technical security issues related to specific platforms, operating systems, vendor
products, etc.
Some agencies and organizations focus on IT security professionals with certifications as part of their
recruitment efforts. Other organizations offer pay raises and bonuses to retain users with certifications
and encourage others in the IT security field to seek certification.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

3.

Designing an Awareness and Training Program

There are three major steps in the development of an IT security awareness and training program –designing the program (including the development of the IT security awareness and training programplan), developing the awareness and training material, and implementing the program. Even a small
amount of IT security awareness and training can go a long way toward improving the IT security postureof, and vigilance within, an organization. This section describes the first step in the development of anawareness and training program: designing the program.
Awareness and training programs must be designed with the organization mission in mind. It is importantthat the awareness and training program supports the business needs of the organization and be relevant to
the organization’s culture and IT architecture. The most successful programs are those that users feel are
relevant to the subject matter and issues presented.
Designing an IT security awareness and training program answers the question “What is our plan fordeveloping and implementing awareness and training opportunities that are compliant with existing
directives?”8 In the design step of the program, the agency’s awareness and training needs are identified,an effective agency wide awareness and training plan is developed, organizational buy-in is sought andsecured, and priorities9 are established.
This section describes:


How to structure the awareness and training activity;

How to (and why) conduct a needs assessment;

How to develop an awareness and training plan;

How to establish priorities;

How to “set the bar” (i.e., the level of complexity of the subject matter) properly; and

How to fund the awareness and training program.

3.1

Structuring an Agency Awareness and Training Program

An awareness and training program may be designed, developed, and implemented in many different
ways. Three common approaches or models are described below:
Model 1: Centralized policy, strategy, and implementation;Model 2: Centralized policy and strategy, distributed implementation; andModel 3: Centralized policy, distributed strategy and implementation.

The model that is embraced and established to oversee the awareness and training program activity
depends on:The size and geographic dispersion of the organization;

8

The awareness and training plan should reflect the organization’s strategy for meeting its awareness and training program
responsibilities.
Priorities include what awareness or training material will be developed first and who will be the first to receive thematerial.

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Defined organizational roles and responsibilities; and

Budget allocations and authority.

Model 1: Centralized Program Management Model (Centralized Policy, Strategy, andImplementation)
In this model, responsibility and budget for the entire organization’s IT security awareness and training
program is given to a central authority. All directives, strategy development, planning, and scheduling iscoordinated through this “security awareness and training” authority.

Figure 3-1: Model 1 – Centralized Program Management

Because the awareness and training strategy is developed at the central authority, the needs assessment –which helps determine the strategy – is also conducted by the central authority. The central authority also
develops the training plan as well as the awareness and training material. The method(s) of implementing
the material throughout the organization is determined and accomplished by the central authority.
Typically, in such an organization, both the CIO and IT security program manager are organizationallylocated within this central authority.
Communication between the central authority and the organizational units travels in both directions. The
central authority communicates the agency’s policy directives regarding IT security awareness andtraining, the strategy for conducting the program, and the material and method(s) of implementation to theorganizational units. The organizational units provide information requested by the central authority. For
example, to meet its responsibilities, the central authority may collect data on the number of attendees atawareness sessions, the number of people trained on a particular topic, and the number of people yet toattend awareness and training sessions. The organizational unit can also provide feedback on theeffectiveness of awareness and training material and on the appropriateness of the method(s) used to
implement the material. This allows the central authority to fine-tune, add or delete material, or modify
the implementation method(s).

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This centralized program management model is often deployed by agencies that:

Are relatively small or have a high degree of structure and central management of most IT functions;

Have, at the headquarters level, the necessary resources, expertise, and knowledge of the mission(s)and operations at the unit level; orHave a high degree of similarity in mission and operational objectives across all of its components.

Model 2: Partially Decentralized Program Management Model (Centralized Policy and Strategy;Distributed Implementation)
In this model, security awareness and training policy and strategy are defined by a central authority, but
implementation is delegated to line management officials in the organization. Awareness and training
budget allocation, material development, and scheduling are the responsibilities of these officials.
The needs assessment is conducted by the central authority, because they still determine the strategy forthe awareness and training program. Policy, strategy, and budget are passed from the central authority tothe organizational units. Based on the strategy, the organizational units develop their own training plans.
The organizational units develop their awareness and training material, and determine the method(s) ofdeploying the material within their own units.
As was the case in the centralized program management model (Model 1), communication between thecentral authority and the organizational units travels in both directions in this model. The central
authority communicates the agency’s policy directives regarding IT security awareness and training, thestrategy for conducting the program, and the budget for each organizational unit. The central authority
may also advise the organizational units that they are responsible for developing training plans and for
implementing the program, and may provide guidance or training to the organizational units so that they
can carry out their responsibilities.
The central authority may require periodic input from each organizational unit, reporting the budget
expenditures made, the status of unit training plans, and progress reports on the implementation of theawareness and training material. The central authority may also require the organizational units to report
the number of attendees at awareness sessions, the number of people trained on a particular topic, and thenumber of people yet to attend awareness and training sessions. The organizational unit may be asked todescribe lessons learned, so the central authority can provide effective guidance to other units.

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Figure 3-2: Model 2 - Partially Decentralized Program Management

This partially decentralized program management model is often deployed by agencies that:

Are relatively large or have a fairly decentralized structure with clear responsibilities assigned to boththe headquarters (central) and unit levels;

Have functions that are spread over a wide geographical area; orHave organizational units with diverse missions, so that awareness and training programs may differ
significantly, based on unit-specific needs.

Model 3: Fully Decentralized Program Management Model (Centralized Policy; Distributed
Strategy and Implementation)
In this model, the central security awareness and training authority (CIO/IT security program manager)
disseminates broad policy and expectations regarding security awareness and training requirements, but
gives responsibility for executing the entire program to other organizational units. This model normallyuses a series of distributed authority directives, driven from the central authority. This normally means
creation of a subsystem of CIOs and IT security program managers subordinate to the central CIO and IT
security officer.

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Figure 3-3: Model 3 – Fully Decentralized Program Management

The needs assessment is conducted by each organizational unit, because in this model, the units determine
the strategy for the awareness and training program. Policy and budget are passed from the central
authority to the organizational units. Based on the strategy, the organizational units develop their own
training plans. The organizational units develop their awareness and training material, and determine themethod(s) of deploying the material within their own units.
As was the case in the centralized program management model (Model 1) and the partially decentralized
program management model (Model 2), communication between the central authority and theorganizational units travels in both directions in this model. The central authority communicates theagency’s policy directives regarding IT security awareness and training, and the budget for eachorganizational unit. The central authority may also advise the organizational units that they are
responsible for conducting their own needs assessment, developing their strategy, developing training
plans, and implementing the program. The
Unless the central authority has a very good
central authority may provide guidance or
strategy for policy and program requirement
training to the organizational units so that they
enforcement and can take into account performancecan carry out their responsibilities.
and operational issues at the unit level, utilizing thefully decentralized program management model
The central authority may require periodic input
may be "throwing the IT security program over thefrom each organizational unit, reporting thewall” with little or no accountability.
budget expenditures made, the status and resultsof needs assessments, the strategy chosen by theorganizational unit, the status of training plans, and progress reports on the implementation of theawareness and training material. The central authority may also require the organizational units to report

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the number of attendees at awareness sessions, the number of people trained on a particular topic, and thenumber of people yet to attend awareness and training sessions.
This fully decentralized program management model is often deployed by agencies that:

Are relatively large;

Have a very decentralized structure with general responsibilities assigned to the headquarters (central)and specific responsibilities assigned to unit levels;

Have functions that are spread over a wide geographical area; orHave quasi-autonomous organizational units with separate and distinct missions, so that awarenessand training programs may need to differ greatly.

Once the model to be employed is identified, the approach to conducting a needs assessment should be
defined consistent with the organizational model selected.
3.2

Conducting a Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is a process that can be used to determine an organization’s awareness and training
needs. The results of a needs assessment can provide justification to convince management to allocate
adequate resources to meet the identified awareness and training needs.
In conducting a needs assessment, it is important that key personnel be involved. As a minimum, thefollowing roles should be addressed in terms of any special training needs:


Executive Management – Organizational leaders need to fully understand directives and laws thatform the basis for the security program. They also need to comprehend their leadership roles inensuring full compliance by users within their units.

Security Personnel (security program managers and security officers) – These individuals act as
expert consultants for their organization and therefore must be well educated on security policy andaccepted best practices.



System Owners – Owners must have a broad understanding of security policy and a high degree ofunderstanding regarding security controls and requirements applicable to the systems they manage.

System Administrators and IT Support Personnel – Entrusted with a high degree of authority oversupport operations critical to a successful security program, these individuals need a higher degree oftechnical knowledge in effective security practices and implementation.



Operational Managers and System Users – These individuals need a high degree of security
awareness and training on security controls and rules of behavior for systems they use to conductbusiness operations.

A variety of sources of information in an agency can be used to determine IT security awareness andtraining needs, and there are different ways to collect that information. Figure 3-4 suggests techniques forgathering information as part of a needs assessment.10
10

The needs assessment process should only be as complex as is needed to identify an organization’s awareness and training
program needs. Similarly, the tools that are employed to identify those needs should be selected with an understanding of
the organization’s culture and conventions, as well as knowledge of the organization’s size, workforce complexity, and

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Interviews with all key groups and organizations identified

Organizational surveys

Review and assessment of available resource material, such as current awareness and training
material, training schedules, and lists of attendees



Analysis of metrics related to awareness and training (e.g., percentage of users completing required
awareness session or exposure, percentage of users with significant security responsibilities who
have been trained in role-specific material)

Review of security plans for general support systems and major applications to identify system andapplication owners and appointed security representatives



Review of system inventory and application user ID databases to determine all who have access

Review of any findings and/or recommendations from oversight bodies (e.g., Congressional inquiry,
inspector general, internal review/audit, and internal controls program) or program reviews
regarding the IT security program

Conversations and interviews with management, owners of general support systems and major
applications, and other organization staff whose business functions rely on ITAnalysis of events (such as denial of service attacks, website defacements, hijacking of systems
used in subsequent attacks, successful virus attacks) might indicate the need for training (oradditional training) of specific groups of people



Review when technical or infrastructure changes are madeThe study of trends first identified in industry, academic, or government publications or bytraining/education organizations. The use of these “early warning systems” can provide insight into
an issue within the organization that has yet to be seen as a problem.

Figure 3-4: Techniques for Gathering Information as Part of a Needs Assessment

Appendix A contains a sample needs assessment interview and questionnaire. (The sample provided
contains some IT security-related questions as part of a general job-oriented questionnaire for systemadministrators. For situations in which the general job training requirements are known, the questionnaire
can focus on the security awareness and training needs of the job.)
Metrics are an important and effective tool that can be used to help determine an agency’s IT security
awareness and training needs. Metrics monitor the accomplishment of the awareness and training
program goals and objectives by quantifying the level of implementation of awareness and training andthe effectiveness and efficiency of the awareness and training, analyzing the adequacy of awareness andtraining efforts, and identifying possible improvements. For a thorough discussion of metrics see NIST
Special Publication 800-55, Security Metrics Guide for Information Technology Systems. A sample
awareness and training metric is included in this document as Appendix B.

similarity or diversity of mission. For example, in a small agency with one mission or similar missions, the results of an IT
security program review and/or an informal survey or questionnaire can usually be effective in identifying the awarenessand training program needs. However, in a large agency with a diverse mix of users and missions, a more complex
questionnaire may have to be developed to collect information that will be analyzed to identify program needs.

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Figure 3-5 illustrates overarching agency-specific issues that must be understood at the start of the needs
assessment. The techniques shown in Figure 3-4 should provide information that offers insight into, andunderstanding of, these issues. These issues should feed necessary information into the needs assessment
process. Understanding them will help shape the strategy and design of the IT security awareness andtraining program.11

Figure 3-5: Understanding Overarching Agency-Specific Issues

Analysis of the information gathered should provide answers to key questions, shown in Figure 3-6.

What awareness, training, and/or education are needed (i.e., what is required)?

What is currently being done to meet these needs?

What is the current status regarding how these needs are being addressed (i.e., how well
are current efforts working)?



Where are the gaps between the needs and what is being done (i.e., what more needs to bedone)?



Which needs are most critical?
Figure 3-6: Key Questions to be Answered in Performing a Needs Assessment

Figure 3-7 shows the relationship between awareness and training requirements and an organization’s
current efforts. The shaded area represents the additional IT security awareness and/or training efforts
11

Another issue that should be addressed during a needs assessment is the roles that have been identified as having significant
security responsibilities. Existing roles that have been so identified should be reviewed to ensure that they still havesignificant security responsibilities. Other roles that previously have had little or no security responsibilities should also be
reviewed. Organizational and technological changes in the organization may impact roles and the security responsibilities
they carry.

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that need to be made. The needs assessment can help identify these additional needs – the gap between
what is currently being done and what is required.

Figure 3-7: Required Awareness and Training Versus Current Effort

Another important aspect of a needs assessment is the related IT security awareness and training program
requirements. For example, if awareness and training material will be presented utilizing computer-based
training (CBT) technology, a technical assessment should be conducted on the organization’s processing
platform (e.g., local area network, workstations, video cards, speakers) to determine if the existing
environment will support the new or expanded awareness and training program. Similarly, if theorganization plans to provide classroom training, the needs assessment should identify if adequate space
exists for an effective learning environment. There may also be Human Resources issues, including
employees with disabilities and special needs. Labor union issues may also arise where they previously
did not.
Once the needs assessment has been completed, information necessary to develop an awareness andtraining plan is available. The plan should cover the entire organization and incorporate priorities
identified by the needs assessment.
3.3

Developing an Awareness and Training Strategy and Plan

Completion of the needs assessment allows an agency to develop a strategy for developing,
implementing, and maintaining its IT security awareness and training program. The plan is the working
document containing the elements that make up the strategy. The plan should discuss the following
elements:


Existing national and local policy that requires the awareness and training to be accomplished;

Scope of the awareness and training program;

Roles and responsibilities of agency personnel who should design, develop, implement, and maintainthe awareness and training material, and who should ensure that the appropriate users attend or view
the applicable material;
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

Goals to be accomplished for each aspect of the program (e.g., awareness, training, education,
professional development [certification]);

Target audiences for each aspect of the program;

Mandatory (and if applicable, optional) courses or material for each target audience;

Learning objectives for each aspect of the program;

Topics to be addressed in each session or course;

Deployment methods to be used for each aspect of the program;

Documentation, feedback, and evidence of learning for each aspect of the program;12

Evaluation and update of material for each aspect of the program; andFrequency that each target audience should be exposed to material.13

Appendix C contains a sample awareness and training program plan template.
3.4

Establishing Priorities

Once the security awareness and training strategy and plan have been finalized, an implementation
schedule must be established. If this needs to occur in phases (e.g., due to budget constraints and resource
availability), it is important to decide the factors to be used in determining which initiative to schedule
first and in what sequence. Key factors to consider are:


Availability of Material/Resources—If awareness and training material and necessary resources arereadily available, key initiatives in the plan can be scheduled early. However, if course material must
be developed and/or instructors must be identified and scheduled, these requirements should beconsidered in setting priorities.



Role and Organizational Impact—It is very common to address priority in terms of organizationalrole and risk. Broad-based awareness initiatives that address the enterprise wide mandate may
receive high priority because the rules of good security practices can be delivered to the workforce
quickly. Also, it is common to look at high trust/high impact positions (e.g., IT security program
managers, security officers, system administrators, and security administrators whose positions in theorganization have been determined to have a higher sensitivity) and ensure that they receive highpriority in the rollout strategy. These types of positions are typically commensurate with the type ofaccess (and to what system) these users possess.

State of Current Compliance – This involves looking at major gaps in the awareness and training
program (e.g., gap analysis) and targeting deficient areas for early rollout.

Critical Project Dependencies – If there are projects dependent upon a segment of security training
in order to prepare the necessary requirements for the system involved (e.g., new operating system,

12

This element of the awareness and training plan should document how the organization will track who has been trained andwho still requires training, how attendees can provide comments on the appropriateness of material, and how the agency will
determine if the attendee benefits from exposure to the awareness or training material.
At a minimum, the entire workforce should be exposed to awareness material annually. A continuous awareness program,using various methods of delivery throughout the year, can be very effective. Security training for groups of users withsignificant security responsibility (e.g., system and network administrators, managers, security officers) should beincorporated into ongoing functional training as needed.

13

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firewalls, virtual private networks [VPNs]), the training schedule needs to ensure that the training
occurs within the stipulated timeframe necessary to address these dependencies.
3.5

Setting the Bar“Setting the bar” means that a decision must be made as to the complexity of the material that will be
developed. The complexity must be commensurate with the role of the person who will undergo thelearning effort. Material should be developed based on two important criteria: 1) the target attendee’s
position within the organization, and 2) knowledge of the security skills required for that position. The
complexity of the material must be determined before development begins. Setting the bar applies to all
three types of learning – awareness, training, and education.
When setting the bar for an awareness effort, the focus
Setting the bar means that a decision
should be on the expected rules of behavior for using
must be made as to the complexity ofsystems. These rules, which should come directly fromthe material that will be developed; itagency policy, apply to everyone in the organization. As
applies to all three types of learning –such, they should be explained clearly enough that thereawareness, training, and education.
is no margin for confusion or misunderstanding. As an
agency’s awareness program matures, and most users
have been exposed to the initial material, the bar can beraised. There are a number of ways to do this, including
developing a basics and literacy course, following the guidance in Chapter 3 of NIST Special Publication
800-16. Raising the bar is discussed further in Section 6.
Setting the bar correctly is even more critical when developing training material. Because the goal of
training is to produce relevant and needed skills and competencies, it is crucial that the needs assessment
identify those individuals with significant IT security responsibilities, assess their functions, and identify
their training needs. Training material should be developed that provides the skill set(s) necessary forattendees to accomplish the security responsibilities associated with their jobs. IT security training
material can be developed at a beginning level for a person who is just learning a discipline (e.g., systemadministrator, web or e-mail server administrator, auditor). Material can be developed at an intermediatelevel for someone who has more experience, and therefore more responsibility, in a discipline. Advanced
material can be developed for those “centers of excellence” or agency subject matter experts whose jobs
incorporate the highest level of trust and an accompanying high level of IT security responsibility.
Chapter 4 of NIST Special Publication 800-16 provides guidance on developing training material forthese three levels of complexity, including learning objectives at each of the three levels to aid thetraining course developer14.
Setting the bar for the education level of learning can be more difficult because curricula are developedby colleges and universities, and is impacted less in the short term by agency-specific needs. Onceeducation needs have been identified within an organization, usually within the IT security office, aschool that provides the needed learning can be found. An agency can “shop” for a local college oruniversity whose certificate or degree program meets its needs or for a school that offers such a program
through distance learning. As was the case with training material, a college or university should beselected because its curriculum meets the security needs of the agency personnel.

14

Agencies may find commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) training material that can be used to meet the more advanced orcomplex training needs of their staff. Agencies will still have to define learning objectives for each role or group of people,
and will have to do so for each level of complexity. The available COTS training can then be compared to what is required
for each role to determine if the COTS training meets the agency’s needs. The subject of vendor-provided training is further
addressed in Section 4.

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3.6

Funding the Security Awareness and Training Program

Once an awareness and training strategy has been agreed upon and priorities established, funding
requirements must be added to the plan. A determination must be made regarding the extent of funding
support to be allocated based on the implementation models discussed in Section 3.1. The agency CIO
must send a clear message regarding expectations for compliance in this area. Approaches used todetermine funding sources must be addressed by agencies based on existing or anticipated budget andother agency priorities. The security awareness and training plan must be viewed as a set of minimum
requirements to be met, and those requirements must be supportable from a budget or contractual
perspective. Contractual training requirements should be specified in binding documentation (e.g.,
memos of understanding (MOUs), contracts). Approaches used to express the funding requirement may
include:

Percent of overall training budget;

Allocation per user by role (e.g., training for key security personnel and system administrators will be
more costly than general security training for those in the organization not performing securityspecific functions);

Percent of overall IT budget; orExplicit dollar allocations by component based on overall implementation costs.

Problems in implementation of the security awareness and training plan may occur when security
awareness and training initiatives are deemed to be lower in priority than other agency initiatives. It is the
responsibility of the CIO to assess competing priorities and develop a strategy to address any shortfall in
funding that may impact the agency’s ability to comply with existing security training requirements. Thismay mean adjusting the awareness and training strategy to be more in line with available budget,
lobbying for additional funding, or directing a reallocation of current resources. It may also mean that theimplementation plan may be phased in over some predefined time period as funding becomes available.

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4.

Developing Awareness and Training Material

Once the awareness and training program has been designed, supporting material can be developed.
Material should be developed15 with the following in mind:
“What behavior do we want to reinforce?” (awareness); and“What skill or skills do we want the audience to learn and apply?” (training).

In both cases, the focus should be on specific material that the participants should integrate into their jobs.
Attendees will pay attention and incorporate what they see or hear in a session if they feel that thematerial was developed specifically for them. Any presentation that “feels” canned – impersonal and so
general as to apply to any audience – will be filed away as just another of the annual “we’re here because
we have to be here” sessions. An awareness and training program can be effective, however, if thematerial is interesting and current.16
At some point the question will be asked, “Am I developing awareness or training material?” Generally,
since the goal of awareness material is simply to focus attention on good security practices, the message
that the awareness effort sends should be short and simple. The message can address one topic, or it canaddress a number of topics about which the audience should be aware.
The awareness audience must include all users in an organization. The message to be spread through anawareness program, or campaign,17 should make all individuals aware of their commonly shared IT
security responsibilities. On the other hand, the message in a training class is directed at a specificaudience. The message in training material should include everything related to security that attendees
need to know in order to do their jobs. Training material is usually far more in-depth than material usedin an awareness session or campaign.
4.1

Developing Awareness Material

The question to be answered when beginning to develop material for an organization wide awarenessprogram or campaign is, “What do we want all agency personnel to be aware of regarding IT security?”
The awareness and training plan should contain a list of topics. E-mail advisories, online IT security
daily news websites, and periodicals are good sources of ideas and material. Agency policy, program
reviews, internal audits, internal controls program reviews, self-assessments, and spot-checks can also
identify additional topics to address.

15

16

17

Awareness and training material can be developed in-house, adapted from other agencies’ or professional organizations’work, or purchased from a contractor/vendor. For information about contracting for services and products, see draft NIST
Special Publication 800-35, Guide to Information Technology Security Services, and draft NIST Special Publication 800-36,
Guide to Selecting Information Technology Security Products. For more extensive guidelines on contracting issues see draft
NIST Special Publication 800-4A, Security Considerations in Federal Information Technology Procurements – A Guide for
Procurement Initiators, Contracting Officers, and IT Security Officials.
Changing peoples’ attitudes and behavior in terms of IT security can be a challenging task. New security policies are often
seen as conflicting with the way users have done their job for years. For example, departments and agencies that once
operated with the full and open sharing of information are now being required to control access to, and dissemination of, that
information. A technique that has been successfully used to acclimate users to these necessary changes is to begin anawareness module or session by discussing IT security issues in the context of personal life experiences (e.g., identify theft,
inappropriate access to personal health or financial data, hacking incidents).
An organization may decide to mount a security awareness campaign to focus on a particular issue. For example, if users
are becoming targets of social engineering attacks or a particular virus, an awareness campaign can be quickly implemented
that uses various awareness techniques to “get the word out.” Such a campaign differs from the normal implementation of
an awareness program by the need for a timely dissemination of information on a particular topic or group of topics.

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4.1.1

Selecting Awareness Topics

A significant number of topics can be mentioned and briefly discussed in any awareness session or
campaign.18 Topics may include:Password usage and management – including creation, frequency of changes, and protectionProtection from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other malicious code – scanning, updating
definitions



Policy – implications of noncomplianceUnknown e-mail/attachments

Web usage – allowed versus prohibited; monitoring of user activity



Spam



Data backup and storage – centralized or decentralized approachSocial engineeringIncident response – contact whom? “What do I do?”Shoulder surfing

Changes in system environment – increases in risks to systems and data (e.g., water, fire, dust or dirt,
physical access)Inventory and property transfer – identify responsible organization and user responsibilities (e.g.,
media sanitization)

Personal use and gain issues – systems at work and home

Handheld device security issues – address both physical and wireless security issues

Use of encryption and the transmission of sensitive/confidential information over the Internet –address agency policy, procedures, and technical contact for assistance

Laptop security while on travel – address both physical and information security issues

Personally owned systems and software at work – state whether allowed or not (e.g., copyrights)

Timely application of system patches – part of configuration management

Software license restriction issues – address when copies are allowed and not allowedSupported/allowed software on organization systems – part of configuration management

Access control issues – address least privilege and separation of duties



Individual accountability – explain what this means in the organizationUse of acknowledgement statements – passwords, access to systems and data, personal use and gain

18

A thorough discussion of topics, organized as management, operational, and technical controls, can be found in NIST
Special Publications 800-12, 800-18, and 800-26.

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

Visitor control and physical access to spaces – discuss applicable physical security policy andprocedures, e.g., challenge strangers, report unusual activity



Desktop security – discuss use of screensavers, restricting visitors’ view of information on screen(preventing/limiting “shoulder surfing”), battery backup devices, allowed access to systems

Protect information subject to confidentiality concerns – in systems, archived, on backup media, in
hardcopy form, and until destroyedE-mail list etiquette – attached files and other rules.

4.1.2

Sources of Awareness Material

There are a variety of sources of material on security awareness that can be incorporated into anawareness program. The material can address a specific issue, or in some cases, can describe how to
begin to develop an entire awareness program, session, or campaign. Sources of timely material may
include:E-mail advisories issued by industry-hosted news groups, academic institutions, or the organization’s
IT security office;Professional organizations and vendors;

Online IT security daily news websites;

Periodicals; and

Conferences, seminars, and courses.

Awareness material can be developed using one theme at a time or created by combining a number ofthemes or messages into a presentation. For example, a poster or a slogan on an awareness tool should
contain one theme, while an instructor-led session or web-based presentation can contain numerous
themes. (Dissemination techniques are covered in greater depth in Section 5.) Regardless of theapproach taken, the amount of information should not overwhelm the audience. Brief mention ofrequirements (policies), the problems that the requirements were designed to remedy, and actions to takeare the major topics to be covered in a typical awareness presentation.19
A more complex awareness presentation that incorporates basics and literacy material (see Chapter 3 of
NIST Special Publication 800-16) should go into more depth on a particular subject. Because basics andliteracy is the bridge between awareness and training, this additional level of detail and complexity isappropriate.
4.2

Developing Training Material

The question to be answered when beginning to develop material for a specific training course is, “Whatskill or skills do we want the audience to learn?” The awareness and training plan should identify an
audience, or several audiences, that should receive training tailored to address their IT security
responsibilities. NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training
Requirements: A Role- and Performance-Based Model(http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html), contains a methodology for building training
19

The NIST Computer Security Division website’s awareness, training, education, and professional development pages
http://csrc.nist.gov/ATE contain a number of links to government, industry, and academic sites that offer or sell bothawareness and training material.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

courses for a number of different audiences. The methodology in the NIST publication will be discussed
in this section. Other sources of training courses and material will also be identified and discussed.
4.2.1

A Model for Building Training Courses: NIST Special Pub. 800-16

The methodology in NIST Special Publication 800-16 provides a useful tool with which to develop IT
security training courses. This section provides background information on the purpose of the publicationand describes how to use the methodology to develop training courses.
Purpose and Methodology: Special Publication 800-16 represents the IT security training needs in thecurrent distributed computing environment, as opposed to the mainframe-oriented environment of themid- to late-1980s. The document identifies 26 roles that have some degree of responsibility for IT
security. Special Publication 800-16 provides flexibility in its methodology for extension of roles andother parameters to accommodate future technologies and organizational roles. The methodology also
allows for training courses to be developed at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of
training. Sample learning objectives are provided for each level to guide the course developer. Agencies
should consider using the publication to map needed training to new and existing roles that havesignificant IT security responsibilities.
Using the Special Publication to Develop a Training Course: NIST Special Publication 800-16
includes a number of resources that a course developer can use to build a training course. The resources
are: the IT security learning continuum model, 26 roles and role-based matrices, 46 training matrix cells,
12 body of knowledge topics and concepts, 3 fundamental training content categories, and 6 functional
specialties.
Once an audience has been identified as needing IT security training, Appendix E of the NIST Special
Publication can be used to assist in course selection.20 Agencies can tailor this approach based on specificpositions used in their organizations. Appendix E contains 26 matrices, one for each of the 26 roles
identified in the publication. Figure 4-1 provides a sample matrix for a course for system administrators.

20

Once training needs are identified, some agencies rely on curriculum builders – professional training development
specialists – to develop the training material. Since training development specialists are usually not IT security
professionals, the specialist will work closely with the IT security staff to ensure accuracy of the material as well as theproper level of complexity.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

Figure 4-1: Sample IT Security Training Matrix

Within each matrix, there are a number of cells that are used to build the course material. There are atotal of 46 cells, but only specific cells are used for each course. Some course matrices have as few as 2
cells, and the course matrix for an IT security officer/manager uses all 46 cells. Most matrices use 7 to 10
cells.
The matrix is organized by six role categories – or functional specialties – relative to three fundamental
training content categories – or training areas (i.e., laws and regulations, security program, and system life
cycle security). The six role categories or functional specialties are:Manage – This category is for individuals who manage IT-based functions in an organization.

Acquire – This category is for those individuals who are involved in the acquisition of IT products
and/or services (e.g., serve on a source selection board to evaluate vendor proposals for IT systems).
This is especially important for those who serve as a contracting officer’s technical representative(COTR).



Design and Develop – This category is for those individuals who design and develop systems andapplications.



Operate – This category is for those individuals who operate (administer) IT systems (e.g., webservers, e-mail servers, file servers, LANs, WANs, mainframes).



Review and Evaluate – This category is for individuals who review and evaluate (audit) IT functions
as part of an organization’s internal controls program, internal review, or an external audit program(e.g., inspector general).

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NIST Special Publication 800-50



Use – This category is for individuals who access IT resources and/or use IT to do their jobs.

Categories (or functional specialties) are arranged in each matrix along the top, from left to right. A
placeholder exists in the seventh column, called “Other,” designed to be used if an additional role
category or functional specialty is developed. These six categories allow a training course to be tailor-fit
to an audience and allow the course to address specific functions within a role. For example, a systemadministrator may manage the function or may administer (operate) a system or systems. Training course
material should be organized by role – by an individual’s job function – within the organization.
In Figure 4-1, the sample matrix for a system administrator course, ten cells will be developed into thecourse material. Each cell can be seen as a building block for the course material. In this example, mostof the cells fall in the “Implement and Operate” specialty or column, because it is assumed that the systemadministrator will be running (operating) a system or systems. Because this course will address systemmanagement, design, and development, several of the ten cells are shown in those specialties or columns.
4.2.2

Sources of Training Courses and Material

The first step in determining sources of training material to build a course(s) is to decide if the material
will be developed in-house or contracted out. If the agency has in-house expertise and can afford to
allocate the necessary resources to develop training material and courses, NIST Special Publication 80016 can be used.
Figure 4-2 contains some key issues to consider in making the decision to develop a course in-house or tooutsource.


Do we have the in-house resources to do the job? This includes people with the right skills andenough people to do the work.



Is it more cost-effective to develop the material in-house versus outsourcing?

Is there a funding mechanism in place (budget)?

Do we have a person on staff that can serve as the contracting officer’s technical representative(COTR) and effectively monitor contractor activity?



Does the agency have the necessary resources (e.g., funding and staff with necessary expertise) tomaintain the material, if it is developed by a contractor?

Does the course content sensitivity preclude use of a contractor?

Does outsourcing allow for critical training delivery schedules to be met?

Figure 4-2: Key Questions – Develop Training Material In-house or Outsource?

If the agency decides to outsource its training course development, there are a number of vendors thatoffer “off-the-shelf” courses that are suitable for particular audiences or that can be developed for specificaudiences. Prior to selecting a particular vendor, agencies should have a thorough understanding of theirtraining needs and be able to determine if a prospective vendor’s material meets their needs.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

Maximizing Partnerships: Agencies have more options from which to choose than to simply decide if
they will develop training course material with existing resources or outsource. Agencies can establish(or maximize existing) partnerships with other agencies to develop material or coordinate training events
that meet their IT security training needs. For example, several agencies may combine resources andexpertise and develop a training course for a particular audience. If agency-specific material is containedin, and limited to, a single module in the course, all involved agencies can use the majority of the material
developed. Agencies would then have to modify or tailor-fit only the module that contains the agencyspecific material.
Similarly, an agency might organize an IT security day or an annual or regional conference and announce
that the events are open to other agencies’ personnel. While the material presented might not matchexactly what is needed by both agencies, it can be a fairly inexpensive way to meet some of a particularaudience’s training needs. If such an arrangement is made, a process must be established to allow eachparticipating agency to track attendance, ensure applicability of the training material, determine
accountability, and address other administrative and management issues.
Agencies can explore the use of training material that has been developed by other agencies and that canbe edited inexpensively rather than developing a completely new course. Care should be taken that theavailable material is applicable to the intended audience, and that the material addresses what prospective
attendees need to know to satisfy their IT security responsibilities.
Within an agency, IT security program managers can build new partnerships, or reinforce existing ones,
with the organization’s training function or with functional managers who coordinate or conduct theirown training. Functional training developed in-house (e.g., financial applications, personnel
management) often lacks adequate discussion of related IT security issues. Through a partnership, the IT
security program manager can offer to review existing references to security in the training material,
checking for completeness and accuracy. The IT security program manager can also assist the training orfunctional manager by developing a security module for that functional material that has no security
component. The IT security program manager can also review contract specifications for functional
training development to be outsourced, ensuring that the appropriate security issues are addressed in
sufficient detail and complexity for the intended audience.

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30NIST Special Publication 800-50

5.

Implementing the Awareness and Training Program

An IT security awareness and training program should be implemented only after:

A needs assessment has been conducted;

A strategy has been developed;An awareness and training program plan for implementing that strategy has been completed; andAwareness and training material has been developed.

Figure 5-1 shows these key steps leading to the implementation of the awareness and training program.

Figure 5-1: Key Steps Leading to Program Implementation

5.1

Communicating the Plan

The program’s implementation must be fully explained to the organization to achieve support for its
implementation and commitment of necessary resources. This explanation includes expectations ofagency management and staff support, as well as expected results of the program and benefits to theorganization. Funding issues must also be addressed. For example, agency managers must know if thecost to implement the awareness and training program will be totally funded by the CIO or IT security

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program budget, or if their budgets will be impacted to cover their share of the expense of implementing
the program. It is essential that everyone involved in the implementation of the program understand theirroles and responsibilities. In addition, schedules and completion requirements must be communicated.
Communication of the plan can be mapped to the three implementation models discussed in Section 3.
Typical scenarios follow.
Centralized Program Model Communication Scenario: In this model, the CIO and/or IT security
program manager develop all agency IT security awareness and training policy, develop the strategy
and program plan, and implement the program. Therefore, all necessary funding for material
development and implementation is controlled and provided by the CIO and IT security program
manager. By the time the program is to be implemented, they have conducted the needs assessment,
developed the training plan, and developed the awareness and training material. The CIO and/or IT
security program manager should brief the agency head and senior management on theimplementation plan and get approval to communicate it throughout the agency. Once theimplementation plan is approved, the CIO and/or IT security program manager should communicate
the plan to organizational unit management, providing the schedule for awareness and training
offerings, and allocating slots in each session, where applicable, for each unit. The organizational
unit managers should then communicate the plan to their staff, identify the awareness and training
required, schedule attendees, and submit their nominations for each offering to the CIO or IT security
program manager as required.



Partially Decentralized Program Model Communication Scenario: In this model, the CIO and/or
the IT security program manager develop all agency IT security awareness and training policy anddevelop the strategy. They also conduct the needs assessment, from which the strategy is derived.
Organizational unit managers are then given an awareness and training budget, develop training plans
for their own unit, and implement the program. They should provide status reports to the CIO and/or
IT security program manager as required.



Decentralized Program Model Communication Scenario: In this model, the CIO and/or IT
security program manager disseminate broad policy and expectations regarding the IT security
awareness and training program. Execution of the remainder of the program is the responsibility ofthe organizational units. The organizational unit managers are expected to conduct a needs
assessment, formulate a strategy, develop a training plan, develop awareness and training material,and implement the awareness and training program. They should provide status reports to the CIO
and/or IT security program manager as required.

Once the plan for implementing the awareness and training program has been explained to (and acceptedby) agency management, the implementation can begin. There are a number of ways that awarenessmaterial and messages can be presented and disseminated throughout an organization.
5.2

Techniques for Delivering Awareness Material

Many techniques exist to get an IT security awareness message, or a series of messages, disseminatedthroughout an agency. The technique(s) chosen depend upon resources and the complexity of themessage(s).
Techniques an agency may consider include, but are not limited to:Messages on awareness tools (e.g., pens, key fobs, post-it notes, notepads, first aid kits, clean-up kits,diskettes with a message, bookmarks, Frisbees, clocks, “gotcha” cards)

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NIST Special Publication 800-50



Posters, “do and don’t lists,” or checklists

Screensavers and warning banners/messages

NewslettersDesk-to-desk alerts (e.g., a hardcopy, bright-colored, one-page bulletin – either one per desk or routed
through an office – that is distributed through the organization’s mail system)Agency wide e-mail messages

VideotapesWeb-based sessions

Computer-based sessions



Teleconferencing sessions

In-person, instructor-led sessions

IT security days or similar events“Brown bag” seminars

Pop-up calendar with security contact information, monthly security tips, etc.



Mascots



Crossword puzzles

Awards program (e.g., plaques, mugs, letters of appreciation)

Some techniques that lend themselves to dissemination of a single message are the use of awareness tools,
posters, access lists, screensavers and warning banners, desk-to-desk alerts, agency wide e-mail messages,
brown bag seminars, and awards programs.
Techniques that can more easily include a number of messages include “do and don’t lists,” newsletters,
videotapes, web-based sessions, computer-based sessions, teleconferencing sessions, in-person instructorled sessions, and brown bag seminars.
Techniques that can be fairly inexpensive to implement include messages on awareness tools, posters,
access lists, “do and don’t lists,” checklists, screensavers and warning banners, desk-to-desk alerts,
agency wide e-mail messages, in-person instructor-led sessions, brown bag seminars, and rewards
programs. Appendix D contains sample awareness posters.
Techniques that can require more resources include newsletters, videotapes, web-based sessions,computer-based sessions, and teleconferencing sessions.
In addition to making awareness material interesting and current, repeating an awareness message andusing a variety of ways of presenting that message can greatly increase users’ retention of awarenesslessons or issues. For example, discussion in an instructor-led session about avoiding being a victim of asocial engineering attack can be reinforced with posters, periodic agency wide e-mail messages, andmessages on awareness tools that are distributed to users.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

5.3

Techniques for Delivering Training Material

Techniques for effectively delivering training material should take advantage of technology that supports
the following features:Ease of use (e.g., easy to access and easy to update/maintain);

Scalability (e.g., can be used for various audience sizes and in various locations);

Accountability (e.g., capture and use statistics on degree of completion); and

Broad base of industry support (e.g., adequate number of potential vendors, better chance offinding follow-on support).

Some of the more common techniques that agencies can employ include:Interactive video training (IVT) – IVT is one of several distance-learning techniques available fordelivering training material. This technology supports two-way interactive audio and video
instruction. The interactive feature makes the technique more effective than non-interactive
techniques, but it is more expensive.

Web-based training – This technique is currently the most popular for distributed environments.
“Attendees” of a web-based session can study independently and learn at their own pace. Testing andaccountability features can be built in to gauge performance. Training models incorporating thistechnique are beginning to provide the additional benefit of interaction between instructor and student
or among students.



Non-web, computer-based training – This technique continues to be popular even with web
availability. It can still be an effective method for distribution of training material, especially ifaccess to web-based material is not feasible. Like web-based training, this technique does not allow
for interaction between the instructor and students or among students.

Onsite, instructor-led training (including peer presentations and mentoring) – This is one of theoldest, but one of the most popular techniques for delivering training material to an audience. The
biggest advantage of the technique is the interactive nature of the instruction. This technique,however, has several potential disadvantages. In a large organization, there may be difficulty inscheduling sufficient classes so that all of the target audience can attend. In an organization that has awidely distributed workforce, there may be significant travel costs for instructors and students.
Although there are challenges for distributed environments, some learners prefer this traditional
method over other methods.

Blending various training delivery techniques in one session can be an effective way to present material
and hold an audience’s attention. For example, showing videos during an instructor-led session allows
the audience to focus on a different source of information. The video can also reinforce what the
instructor has been presenting. IVT, web-based training, and non-web, computer-based training can also
be used as part of an instructor-led training session.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

6.

Post-Implementation

An organization’s IT security awareness and training program can quickly become obsolete if sufficientattention is not paid to technology advancements, IT infrastructure and organizational changes, and shifts
in organizational mission and priorities. CIOs and IT security program managers need to be cognizant of
this potential problem and incorporate mechanisms into their strategy to ensure the program continues tobe relevant and compliant with overall objectives.
Continuous improvement should always be the theme for security awareness and training initiatives, as
this is one area where “you can never do enough.”

Figure 6-1: Key Steps Leading to Post-Implementation

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

6.1

Monitoring Compliance

Once the program has been implemented, processes must be put in place to monitor compliance andeffectiveness. An automated tracking system should be designed to capture key information regarding
program activity (e.g., courses, dates, audience, costs, sources). The tracking system should capture thisdata at an agency level, so that it can be used to provide enterprise wide analysis and reporting regarding
awareness, training, and education initiatives. Requirements for the database should incorporate theneeds of all intended users. Typical users of such a database would include:CIOs – Can use the database to support strategic planning, inform the agency head and other senior
management officials on the health of the IT security awareness and training program, identify inhouse capability and critical needs in security workforce, perform program analysis, identify activity
enterprise wide, assist in security and IT budgeting, identify the need for program improvement, andassess compliance.



IT Security Program Managers – Can use the database to support security planning, provide status
reports to the CIO and other management and security personnel, justify requests for funding,demonstrate compliance with agency-established goals and objectives, identify vendors and othertraining sources, respond to security-related inquiries, identify current coverage, and makeadjustments for critical omissions.



Human Resource Departments – Can use the database to ensure that an effective mechanism exists
for capturing all security-related training, identify IT security training related costs, assist in theestablishment of position descriptions, support status reporting, respond to training inquiries, and aid
in professional development.



Agency Training Departments – Can use the database to assist in developing overall agency
training strategy, establish training database requirements tied to security directives, identify possible
training sources, support training requests, identify course relevance and popularity, support
budgeting activity, and respond to inquiries.



Functional Managers – Can use the database to monitor their user’s training progress and adjust user
training plans as needed, get status reports and respond to inquiries regarding security training in theircomponents, and identify training sources and costs to assist with budget requests and proposals.



Auditors – Can use information from the database to monitor compliance with security directives andagency policy.



Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) – Can use information from the database to respond to budget
inquiries, assist in financial planning, and provide reports to the agency head and senior managers
regarding security training funding activities.

Tracking compliance involves assessing the status of the program as indicated by the database
information and mapping it to standards established by the agency. Reports can be generated and used to
identify gaps or problems. Corrective action and necessary follow-up can then be taken. This may takethe form of formal reminders to management; additional awareness, training, or education offerings;
and/or the establishment of a corrective plan with scheduled completion dates.
6.2

Evaluation and Feedback

Formal evaluation and feedback mechanisms are critical components of any security awareness, training,and education program. Continuous improvement cannot occur without a good sense of how the existing
program is working. In addition, the feedback mechanism must be designed to address objectives initially

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

established for the program. Once the baseline requirements have been solidified, a feedback strategy canbe designed and implemented. Figure 6-2 shows various evaluation and feedback mechanisms that can beused to update the awareness and training program plan.21

Figure 6-2: Evaluation and Feedback Techniques

A feedback strategy needs to incorporate elements that will address quality, scope, deployment method(e.g., web-based, onsite, offsite), level of difficulty, ease of use, duration of session, relevancy, currency,
and suggestions for modification.
Many methods can be applied to solicit feedback. The most common include:Evaluation Forms/Questionnaires – A variety of formats can be used. The best designs eliminate
the need for a lot of writing on the part of the person completing them. The key is to design the forms
to be as “user friendly” as possible. Work with the in-house experts who are familiar with the best
techniques for designing these evaluation instruments or seek the assistance of outside experts.



Focus Groups – Bring subjects of the training together in open forums to discuss their perspectives
on the IT security training program effectiveness and solicit their ideas for improvement.



Selective Interviews – This approach first identifies training target groups based on impact, priority,
or other established criteria and identifies specific areas for feedback. Normally conducted using oneon-one interviews or in small homogeneous groupings (usually ten or less), this approach is more

21

The awareness and training program plan represents the results of the design phase of the awareness and training program.
The design phase is the first of the four major phases (i.e., design the program, develop material, implement the program,
maintain the program) in the life cycle of an awareness and training program. Evaluation and feedback techniques canprovide insights that should result in an update of the awareness and training program plan. As subsequent needs
assessments are performed, it will be important to consider the insights gained from evaluation and feedback techniques, asa needs assessment helps an organization determine its awareness and training program plan.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

personalized and private than the focus group approach and may encourage participants to be moreforthcoming in their critique of the program.


Independent Observation/Analysis – Another approach for soliciting feedback is to incorporate areview of the IT security awareness and training program as a task to an outside contractor or otherthird party as part of an agency-initiated audit. The agency would do this in addition to the normal
oversight activity (e.g., OIG, GAO) to get an unbiased opinion regarding program effectiveness.

Formal Status Reports – A good way to keep focus on security awareness and training requirements
agency wide is to implement a requirement for regular status reporting by functional managers.

Security Program Benchmarking (External View) – Many organizations incorporate “Security
Program” benchmarking as part of their strategy for continuous improvement and striving forexcellence. This type of benchmarking is focused on the question: How do I rate among my peers?
The externally focused form of security benchmarking compares an organization’s performanceagainst a number of other organizations and provides a report back to the agency on where they fall
based on observed baselines across all organizations with data currently available. A component of
this type of benchmarking should include security awareness and training. This type ofbenchmarking is normally done by experts in benchmarking techniques who have extensive
information (data) across a broad range of organizations over a fairly long duration (five years ormore).

6.3

Managing Change

It will be necessary to ensure that the program,Managing change is the component of the programas structured, continues to be updated as new
designed to ensure that training/ awareness/education
technology and associated security issues
deployments do not become stagnant and therefore
emerge. Training needs will shift as new skills
irrelevant to real emerging issues faced by theand capabilities become necessary to respondorganization. It is also designed to address changes into new architectural and technology changes.
security policy and procedures reflected in the culture
A change in the organizational mission and/orof the agency.
objectives can also influence ideas regarding
how best to design training venues and content.
Emerging issues, such as homeland defense, will also impact the nature and extent of security awarenessactivities necessary to keep users informed/educated about the latest exploits and countermeasures. New
laws and court decisions may also impact agency policy that, in turn, may affect the development and/or
implementation of awareness and training material. Finally, as security directives change or are updated,awareness and training material should reflect these changes.
6.4

Ongoing Improvement (“Raising the Bar”)

This stage of the program is focused on creating a level of security awareness and excellence that
achieves a pervasive security presence in the organization. The processes that deliver awareness, training,and education to the workforce should be totally integrated into the overall business strategy. A mature
security awareness and training program defines a set of metrics for this area, and automated systems
should be in place to support the capture of quantitative data and delivery of management information toaccountable parties on a regular, predefined cycle.

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Monitoring, follow-up, and corrective procedures are well defined and seamless. Finally, in this stage,agencies have incorporated into their awareness and training program formal mechanisms for ongoing
research in areas of technology advancement, good practices, and benchmarking opportunities.
6.5

Program Success Indicators

CIOs, program officials, and IT security program managers should be primary advocates for continuous
improvement and for supporting an agency’s security awareness, training, and education program. It is
critical that everyone be capable and willing to carry out their assigned security roles in the organization.
In security, the phrase, “Only as strong as the weakest link,” is true. Securing an organization’s
information and infrastructure is a team effort. Listed below are some key indicators to gauge the support
for, and acceptance of, the program.


Sufficient funding to implement the agreed-upon strategy.

Appropriate organizational placement to enable those with key responsibilities (CIO, program
officials, and IT security program manager) to effectively implement the strategy.

Support for broad distribution (e.g., web, e-mail, TV) and posting of security awareness items.



Executive/senior level messages to staff regarding security (e.g., staff meetings, broadcasts to allusers by agency head).



Use of metrics (e.g., to indicate a decline in security incidents or violations,22 indicate that the gap
between existing awareness and training coverage and identified needs is shrinking, the percentage ofusers being exposed to awareness material is increasing, the percentage of users with significant
security responsibilities being appropriately trained is increasing).

Managers do not use their status in the organization to avoid security controls that are consistently
adhered to by the rank and file.



Level of attendance at mandatory security forums/briefings.



Recognition of security contributions (e.g., awards, contests).



Motivation demonstrated by those playing key roles in managing/coordinating the security program.

22

While improved security behavior can result in a decline in incidents or violations, reporting of potential incidents may
increase because of enhanced vigilance among users.

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APPENDIX A—SAMPLE NEEDS ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRE
Current Assignment (Agency/Office):
Parent Organization (Department/Agency):
Rank or Grade: ________________ Date of Current Assignment (mm/yy): ______________
JobTitle: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
This questionnaire is designed to find out about the knowledge, skills, and experience you use to administer yourorganization’s automated information systems and networks. It asks about functions you perform, how you learned
to do them, and the kinds of training you think would be of greatest benefit to you on the job. The information you
provide will be used to design security training to meet the needs of (agency name) system administrators. The
questionnaire should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Part 1. Background:
1. Do you currently perform duties as a system administrator? ..............................Yes
1a. If yes, do you do the job on a full-time basis? ...............................................Yes
1b. If less than full time, what percent of time do you spend doing
system administration duties? ......................................................................_______%
2. How long have you worked as a system administrator?

Years

No
No

Months

3. Do you have system administrators working for you? ........................................Yes

No

4. Do you work for a system administrator? ...........................................................Yes

No

5. Did you have formal training in system administration? ....................................YesNo(If Yes, please specify below)_____________________________________________________________________(School or Vendor)

Course Title/Name(Duration- Days) (Year)_____________________________________________________________________(School or Vendor)

Course Title/Name(Duration- Days) (Year)

6. Did you have formal training in system security? (If Yes, please specify below)...Yes No_____________________________________________________________________(School or Vendor)

Course Title/Name(Duration- Days) (Year)_____________________________________________________________________(School or Vendor)

Course Title/Name(Duration- Days) (Year)

7. Please indicate the number of years of formal education you have completed.
(e.g., HS =12 years, BA/BS= 16 years): _____
8. How many seminars or conferences relating to system administration or information
systems security have you attended in the last year?
9. Do you regularly read computer/networking/software journals or magazines? (If yes,
please specify below)..........................................................................................Yes_____________________________________________________________________________

A-1

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

Part 2. Task Performance and Training:
For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – dailyA

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room

E ____
A ____

I____

B

Manage System Hardware:Plan hardware
O L M W D
installation__ Self Study___ OJT (on the job)___ Other ___________

Acquire hardware

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

Coordinate network
installation
Schedule preventive
maintenance
Coordinate hardware
repairO L M W D__ Class room__ Class room

O L M W D__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

Install hardware

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____

I____

Boot system

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

Maintain inventory ofsystem hardware
Order consumablesupplies

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I____

Run diagnostics

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____

I____

Relocate hardware

O L M W D__Class room

E ____
A ____I______ Self Study___ OJT___ Other _____________Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room

E ____
A ____I______ Self Study___ OJT___ Other _____________Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room

E ____
A ____I______ Self Study___ OJT___ Other _____________Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I______ Self StudyO L M W D

Manage System Software:
Optimize operating
O L M W D
system parameters
Plan system changes
O L M W D
Set system defaults

O L M W D

Generate new operating
system kernel
Maintain systemstartup/shutdown
procedures
Maintain command files

O L M W D

O L M W D

Test update validity

O L M W D

O L M W D

A-2

I____
I____

I____

I____

I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – daily

A

B

Install system software

O L M W D

Shut down system

O L M W D

Reboot system

O L M W D

Maintain software
inventory
Install system changes

O L M W D
O L M W D

Install vendor-specifichardwareInstall system updates orpatches
Maintain documentation

O L M W D

O L M W D

Maintain Data Storage:
Plan data storage layout

O L M W D

Plan backup procedures

O L M W D

Implement backup
procedures
Monitor data storage use

O L M W D

O L M W D

O L M W D

Maintain file system
integrity
Audit file system security

O L M W D
O L M W D

Delete unnecessary files

O L M W D

Manage log files

O L M W D

Maintain data storagelayoutFormat storage media

O L M W D
O L M W D

Partition disks

O L M W D

Create a file system

O L M W D

Load data

O L M W D

Restore data from abackupO L M W D

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study

A-3

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – dailyA

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____

I____

B

Manage Application Software:
Evaluate effect of
O L M W D
software packages
Optimize application
O L M W D
parameters
Plan application
O L M W D
changes
Ensure compatibility
O L M W D
among applications
Allocate system
O L M W D
resources to applications
Validate integrity of
O L M W D
applications before
installation
Test validity of software
O L M W D
installation
Install application
O L M W D
software
Maintain inventory
O L M W D
Maintain application
documentation
Install application
updatesPlan network
connectivity
Request interhost
connectivity
Acquire Internet address

O L M W D

O L M W D

Build network cables

O L M W D

Configure TTY lines

O L M W D

Configure peripheral
lines
Configure file servers
and clients
Configure firewalls

O L M W D

O L M W D

Monitor network activity

O L M W D

Manage network
services

O L M W D

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

O L M W D

A-4

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – daily

A

B

Manage network bridges
and routers
Manage print servers

O L M W D
O L M W D

Manage terminal servers

O L M W D

Manage network
topology
Assign addresses to
nodes
Install network software

O L M W D

Set access permissions

O L M W D

Start network software

O L M W D

Test communication
connectivity
Stop network software

O L M W D

Re-establish hostconnectivity
Help establish audit
guidelines
Help establish user
security guidelines
Assist writing systemsecurity plans
Assist in host network
accreditation
Ensure output labelingprocedures
Ensure data labelingprocedures
Assist testing security
mechanisms
Assist in analysis ofaudit trails
Assist in incident
handling
Enforce security
procedures
Assist in maintaining
physical security for thesystemO L M W D
O L M W D

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____

A-5___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – daily

A

B

Assist in maintaining
device access controls
Report security incidents

O L M W D

Manage Accounts:
Plan accountmanagement strategy
Establish user login
environments
Assist ISSO in managing
mandatory access
controls
Manage accountprivilegesAudit account activity
Manage resources usedby account
Add new accounts
Assist in setting theaccount’s access control
list
Explain basic operatingprocedures
Assist in modifying
passwords
Delete accounts

O L M W D

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

Troubleshoot Problems:
Recreate problem
O L M W D
scenarios
Interpret error messages O L M W D
Test components

O L M W D

Isolate problems

O L M W D

Maintain log of problems
and solutions
Recover from systemcrashes
Respond to user
identified problems

O L M W D
O L M W D
O L M W D

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______Class room___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I______ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study

A-6

I____

I____
I____

I____
I____
I____
I____

I____
I____

I____
I____
I____
I____
I____
I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – daily

A

B

Gather troubleshooting
information
Use diagnostic tools

O L M W D
O L M W D

Initiate corrective action

O L M W D

Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

For each task,
indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A _______ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

I____
I____
I____

Part 2. Task Performance and Training (cont.):
Use the table below to indicate any other system administration functions you perform that are notcovered above. For each, indicate how often you perform the task, the primary way you were trained to
do the job, and whether you think more training would help you do the task.
Put a check indicating the primary way
you received your training to do thistask. If "Other," please specify (e.g.,workshops, trial and error, etc.).

Indicate (9)the level of training
you feel you need
Entry (E),Intermediate (I),
Advanced (A)O L M W D__ Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ______________ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____
E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

O L M W D__Class room__ Self Study___ OJT___ Other ___________

E ____
A ____I____

For each task in column A, circle theletter in column B that indicates how
often you perform the task:
O – neverL – less than once a month
M – monthly
W – weekly
D – dailyA

B

O L M W D
O L M W D

A-7

I____
I____

NIST Special Publication 800-50

Part 3. Job Task Discussion:
1. Are you required to:___Install firewalls?
___Operate firewalls?
___Maintain firewalls?
2. If you checked any responses in question 1, please specify:
The number of firewalls _______,The type of hardware ____________________________________________, andWhat software you work with__________________________________________
3. Are you required to install:___Network cables___PC’s/Workstations___Routers/Bridges___Security-related hardware___Security-related software___Other software
4. Does your job require you to know how to program or write shell scripts? Yes No
In which language(s)?___________________________________________________
5. What kinds of functions/programs have you written in the last year?
___ cron jobs___ login functions___ backups___ restore___ accounting functions___ other (Please specify)_____________________________________________
6. What kinds of scripts or programs do you maintain?
___ cron jobs___ login functions___ backups___ restore___ accounting functions___ other (Please specify)_____________________________________________
7. Do you share system duties with any of the following (Indicate the number of each)? ___Network
Administrator(s)___Database Administrator(s)___Other SA(s)___ISSO/ISSM(s)8. Do you administer more than one network?…………………………...……Yes

No

9. What operating systems and versions are used in your system? (e.g., Solaris 2.5.1)_____________________________________________________________________A-8

NIST Special Publication 800-50

10. Are you responsible for system security?……………………………………Yes No
If Yes, what instruction or policy defines that duty?__________________________________________________________________________________________
11. What specific programs do you use for each of the following (for each, please indicate if its use isoptional (O) or required (R ) by your command or organization):
Network mapping___________________________________________________
Intrusion detection__________________________________________________
System logging_____________________________________________________
Audit functions_____________________________________________________
Password checking or enhancement_____________________________________
12. Are you a certified system administrator?………….……………………….Yes No
If Yes, what specific training courses (classroom, CDs, CBTs, etc.) did you take to be certified?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. What do you feel are your top five information system security training needs? (for each, indicate
whether your need is for basic, intermediate or advanced training)A.
B.___________________________________________________________________C.
D.
E.
Additional comments:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for participating in this survey.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

APPENDIX B—SAMPLE AWARENESS AND TRAINING METRIC
Critical Element

13.1 Have employees received adequate training to fulfill their security
responsibilities?

Subordinate
Question13.1.2 Are employee training and professional development documented andmonitored?

MetricThe percentage of employees with significant security responsibilities who havereceived specialized training

PurposeTo gauge the level of expertise among designated security roles and security
responsibilities for specific systems within the agency

Implementation
Evidence

1. Are significant security responsibilities defined, with qualifications criteria, anddocumented? ‫ ڤ‬Yes ‫ ڤ‬No
2. Are records kept of which employees have specialized security responsibilities?
‫ ڤ‬Yes‫ ڤ‬No3. How many employees in your agency (or agency component, as applicable) havesignificant security responsibilities? _____
4. Are training records maintained? (Training records indicate the training thatspecific employees have received.)
Yes

No

5. Do training plans state that specialized training is necessary?
‫ ڤ‬Yes‫ ڤ‬No6. How many of those with significant security responsibilities have received therequired training stated in their training plan? _____
7. If all personnel have not received training, state all reasons that apply:
Insufficient funding‫ ڤ‬Insufficient time
‫ ڤ‬Courses unavailable‫ ڤ‬Employee has not registered‫ ڤ‬Other (specify) ______________
Frequency

Annually, at a minimum

FormulaNumber of employees with significant security responsibilities who have received
required training (Question 6) / Number of employees with significant security
responsibilities (Question 3)

Data Source

Employee training records or database; course completion certificatesIndicators

The target for this measure is 100 percent. If security personnel are not given
appropriate training, an organization may not be equipped to combat the latest threats
and vulnerabilities. Specific security control options and tools are rapidly changing
and evolving. Continued training enforces the availability of necessary security
information.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

This metric can be correlated with the number of security incidents and the numberof patched vulnerabilities to determine whether an increase in the number of trained
security staff is related to, and facilitates, a reduction in certain types of incidents andopen vulnerabilities.
Comments: Questions 1 and 2 are used to gauge the reliability of the information for this metric. Rolesand responsibilities must be defined in policy and procedures, and personnel identified to carry out theroles. Questions 4 and 5 provide information to help identify any specialized training that personnel needto complete.
If sufficient training of personnel is not provided, Question 7 helps identify why. If the cause of
insufficient training is known, management can institute corrective actions to remedy this deficiency.

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

APPENDIX C—SAMPLE AWARENESS AND TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN TEMPLATEEXECUTIVE SUMMARYBACKGROUNDª OMB A-130, Appendix IIIª Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)ª Specific department and/or agency policy (and other relevant information or rationale that may
drive an awareness and training program and plan)

AGENCY IT SECURITY POLICYª Goalsª Objectivesª Roles/Responsibilities

AWARENESSª Audience (management and all employees)ª Activities and target datesª Scheduleª Review and updating of materials and methods

TRAINING/EDUCATION
Role 1: Executives and Managersª Learning Objectivesª Focus Areasª Methods/Activitiesª Scheduleª Evaluation Criteria
Role 2: IT security staffª Learning Objectivesª Focus Areasª Methods/Activitiesª Scheduleª Evaluation Criteria
Role 3: System/Network Administratorsª Learning Objectivesª Focus Areasª Methods/Activitiesª Scheduleª Evaluation Criteria. . . and remaining roles with significant IT security responsibilities

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
Role 1: IT security staffª Learning Objectivesª Focus Areasª Methods/Activitiesª Scheduleª Evaluation Criteria
Role 2: System/Network Administratorsª Learning Objectivesª Focus Areasª Methods/Activitiesª Scheduleª Evaluation Criteria. . . and remaining roles with significant IT security responsibilities

RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS

COSTª Staffing$ xxxª Contracting Support$ xxxª Facilities (e.g., training rooms, teleconferencing facility)$ xxxª Media (e.g., server(s) for web- and computer-based material)

$ xxx

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NIST Special Publication 800-50

APPENDIX D—SAMPLE AWARENESS POSTERS

D-1

NIST Special Publication 800-50

D-2

NIST Special Publication 800-50

D-3

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D-4

NIST Special Publication 800-50

D-5