We’ve curated a list of the top 10 cybersecurity training courses for employees that will help raise awareness about cyber threats and attacks. These courses will help ensure that your teams are equipped with the proper knowledge to identify, prevent, and mitigate them.
SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s cybersecurity training course for employees emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity and makes them aware of the cost of cyberattacks. It covers the different types of cyber threats such as ransomware, malware, social engineering, and a man-in-the-middle attack. It then provides some scenarios of intrusion and teaches how to identify them and what to do in those situations. One example is how to safely use emails by being wary of spam emails, along with the links and attachments included and making sure we don’t click on any if they look suspicious.
This security training course consists of eight bite-sized lessons so it requires little effort to comprehend. As with any course using a microlearning design model, knowledge is delivered in short bursts which have been tried and tested to be effective in retaining important information. Being in a mobile-friendly platform, this course can also be completed on the go at your employees’ convenience.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Scope: Types of cyberattacks, safety practices, creating a document management strategy
Created By SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore this free courseThis course by SC Training (formerly EdApp) will provide your employees with knowledge about different cyber scams and cyber attacks, and the know-how to mitigate them. It gives an overview of why scams occur and gives examples of the most common internet scams we can encounter, such as prize scams, fake merchandising, and sweetheart swindles. By the end of this course, your teams will become expert “scam scanners” and will know how to protect your business.
This free cybersecurity training for employees can be immediately deployed out of the box to your teams or can be fully customized. This means that you can put your branding and insert content that’s most relevant to you. SC Training (formerly EdApp) is also a perfect tool for checking completion and progress as it includes an employee training tracker so it’s easy to monitor who has finished their training.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Scope: Types of scams, scam identification and mitigation
Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore the courseTechnology evolves rapidly more than we’re aware of. This is why this course by SC Training (formerly EdApp) highlights the importance of continuous learning so your employees can stay on top of cybersecurity awareness. This course was made in mind to give an up-to-date guide to individuals and organizations from cyber threats and attacks. At the core of it is recognizing the most common vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, session impersonation, and cross-site scripting attacks. It then proceeds to teach you ways to protect your systems from those easily exploitable vulnerabilities.
While cybersecurity may be on a more serious note due to critical information, it doesn’t mean that learning can’t be a fun and engaging experience. SC Training (formerly EdApp) has several game-based templates you can use to drive interest, like the Find-a-word template which is your typical word search game, and the jeopardy game which takes after the game with the same name.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Scope: Injection attacks, cross-Site Scripting (XSS), system protection
Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore the courseThis cybersecurity training for employees gives the background needed to get you started on data privacy. To prime you up for the current landscape, it discusses the beginnings of cybersecurity and the various reasons why cyberattacks happen. It further expands your knowledge by giving a brief overview of the different kinds of unauthorized attacks and the tools we can use to defend against them. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to define basic terminology and concepts around cybersecurity. It will also provide best practices and resources if you want to further your knowledge beyond this course. This training is free of charge and can be done at your own pace; however, it takes 4 weeks to complete.
Cost: Free
Scope: History of cybersecurity, types of cyberattacks, key security tools
Created by edX
Explore the courseThis course shines a light on making privacy and security at the forefront of any organization. Through video learning, it discusses how to train your employees in online security and also teaches them how to secure their devices along with the software, networks, and cloud security systems they use at work to prevent them from being compromised. It also covers how to create a secure online experience for customers who are the lifeblood of any business. While this course is completely free, it takes an hour to finish which could affect completion rates for employees who may have a short attention span.
Cost: Free
Scope: Online security, securing devices, networks, systems, and software
Created by Google
Explore the courseThis cybersecurity training for employees helps them realize that you don’t have to be a bigshot or someone rich and famous to be potential targets of hackers. As with any individual who uses technology, they should take steps in protecting themselves from cyber criminals. This course starts by discussing why security matters and how to have the proper mindset towards it. It then cites the most common security threats we should be aware of and provides best practices to avoid and mitigate them. While some of the topics are technical, this course is targeted at beginners and is made to be easily actionable and understood. This course is quite lengthy with 35 lessons and takes almost 2 hours to complete. As this is one of Skillshare’s premium courses, you’ll need to subscribe to access it.
Cost: US $13.99/monthly subscription
Scope: Common online security threats, multi-layer security, good security habits and practices
Created by Skillshare
Explore the courseThis course is designed to provide employees a glimpse into the current cybersecurity landscape and to equip them with the information they need to manage security protocols. By the end of this training, employees will have an enhanced understanding of cybersecurity principles and the knowledge to combat various threats, such as phishing, malware, and Bluetooth attacks. They’ll also be able to execute risk management processes and treatment methods. This course is a bit advanced but is still on a beginner level. The different topics were carefully curated and are spread out into 3 hours of self-paced video lessons. The good thing is that this informative course is free, but the downside is you’ll only have 90 days to access it.
Cost: Free
Scope: Cybersecurity fundamentals, mitigation, risk management
Created by Simplilearn
Explore the courseThrough this cybersecurity training for employees, essential information security topics are discussed together with the corresponding actions employees should take to protect vulnerable information in the workplace. It teaches the fundamental aspects of information security known as the CIA triad, which are: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. It provides applicative examples to protect your personal information, such as learning how to set secure passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication. While you’re not required to know the whole process for reporting breaches, it also highlights the importance of knowing key processes, such as how to report an incident or exploit and knowing the appropriate team to forward it to.
Cost: Free
Scope: CIA triad, common threats, incident response
Created by PhishingBox
Explore the courseCreated by IBM, this cybersecurity training for employees hosted on Coursera starts with a background on cybersecurity by first discussing its history leading up to the landscape we have today. It describes key concepts including the CIA triad, incident response, and even best practices. This course will also help employees identify the various cybersecurity tools to protect against malicious threats, such as firewalls and antivirus software, and how to utilize them. And if you're looking for free cyber security certifications, this course allows you to earn a certificate upon completion. While you have the flexibility on how you want to progress in this course, it’s the lengthiest in our list as it takes around 20 hours to complete.
Cost: Free
Scope: Cybersecurity concepts, cybersecurity tools, common cybersecurity best practices
Created by Coursera
Explore the courseThis free cyber security course by Alison is a cybersecurity training for employees that will discuss what Digital Citizenship is as well as provide cybersecurity awareness. It explains how to be a good digital citizen by following proper digital etiquette and safety through your online presence. It also provides the fundamentals such as differentiation of the common types of cybersecurity attacks, prevention tips and tricks, and the use of prevention software for your desktop and mobile devices to protect yourself from any data breach online. This course is mobile-friendly and can take 4-5 hours to finish. You can also earn a certificate after completing this course.
Cost: Free
Scope: Digital citizenship, digital security and safety, types of cyberattacks and breaches
Created by Alison
Explore the courseIronically, the technology that provides us the convenience we can now afford is the same one that may expose us to harm. Cybersecurity is practicing vigilance and taking actions against potential threats in your systems, such as your hardware, software, and data. Any organization needs to be aware of such threats as, oftentimes, the damage it causes can’t be reversed or is irreparable. This can put businesses at risk as finances and valuable or confidential information are at stake. As not all employees are aware of the risks that exist, training is paramount to ensure cybersecurity is made a priority. As with any threat, it’s best to have the ability to recognize it, nip it in the bud, and have protective and mitigative measures in place.