Recognizing and Reporting Security Incidents ft. Bryon Singh, RailWorks Corp.

In the battle against cyber threats, the ability to recognize and report potential security incidents is crucial. Just as heroes in pop culture stories must identify and respond to danger, your workforce needs to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to spot and report cybersecurity incidents. This blog post explores the importance of training employees to recognize potential incidents and outlines best practices for reporting them, using references from popular culture to make these concepts engaging and memorable.

Recognizing a Potential Incident

In the world of "The Matrix," Neo learns to see through the illusion of the Matrix and recognize anomalies that signal something is wrong. Similarly, employees must be trained to identify signs of a potential security incident. Common indicators include:

1. Unusual Network Activity: Just as Neo notices glitches in the Matrix, employees should be vigilant for unusual network activity, such as unexpected data transfers or sudden spikes in traffic.
2. Suspicious Emails: In "James Bond" movies, spies are always on the lookout for deceptive communications. Train employees to recognize phishing emails, which often contain unusual sender addresses, generic greetings, and suspicious links or attachments.
3. Unauthorized Access: Think of how the characters in "Jurassic Park" react when they notice someone tampering with the park’s systems. Employees should be alert to signs of unauthorized access, such as unfamiliar login attempts or changes to account settings.
4. System Performance Issues: In "Star Wars," when the Millennium Falcon's systems start acting up, it signals a problem. Similarly, employees should report unexpected system slowdowns, crashes, or other performance issues, as these can indicate a security breach.

Reporting a Potential Incident

In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the characters form Dumbledore's Army to respond quickly to threats. Your organization needs a clear and efficient process for reporting potential incidents. Here's how to train your workforce:

1. Establish Clear Reporting Channels: Just as Dumbledore's Army has secret communication methods; your organization should have clear and accessible channels for reporting incidents. This can include a dedicated email address, phone number, or incident reporting system.
2. Immediate Reporting: Encourage employees to report potential incidents immediately. Time is of the essence in cybersecurity, and prompt reporting can prevent further damage.
3. Provide Detailed Information: Train employees to provide detailed information when reporting an incident, including what was observed, when it occurred, and any actions taken. This is akin to how the Avengers debrief after missions, sharing crucial details to understand the threat better.
4. Stay Calm and Follow Protocol: In "The Hunger Games," Katniss Everdeen remains calm under pressure and follows her training. Employees should remain composed and follow the established incident response protocol without trying to investigate or resolve the issue themselves.

Practical Training Tips

1. Simulated Scenarios: Use simulated scenarios to train employees on recognizing and reporting incidents. These can include mock phishing emails, fake network anomalies, and other realistic exercises.
2. Interactive Workshops: Conduct interactive workshops where employees can practice identifying potential incidents and reporting them. Use role-playing exercises to reinforce learning.
3. Clear Guidelines: Provide clear guidelines on what constitutes a potential incident and how to report it. Ensure these guidelines are easily accessible to all employees.
4. Continuous Learning: Encourage a culture of continuous learning by providing resources such as online courses, articles, and webinars on incident recognition and reporting best practices.

Training your workforce to recognize and report potential security incidents is vital in protecting your organization from cyber threats. By drawing parallels to popular culture, you can make these concepts more relatable and engaging for employees. Just as heroes in stories must identify and respond to danger, your employees need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to spot and report cybersecurity incidents.

Start your training today and empower your workforce to be the first line of defense against potential threats.

Here’s a link to the Security Awareness Skills Training Policy Template provided free of charge from the fine folks at the Center for Internet Security: https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/security-awareness-skills-training-policy-template-for-cis-control-14

Here are some details on this specific Control/Safeguard. If you want info, DM me.

CIS Control 14 – Security Skills Awareness & Training

Establish and maintain a security awareness program to influence behavior among the workforce to be security conscious and properly skilled to reduce cybersecurity risks to the enterprise.

Implementation Group 1

CIS Safeguard 14.6 - Train Workforce Members on Recognizing and Reporting Security Incidents

Train workforce members to be able to recognize a potential incident and be able to report such an incident.