ISO/IEC 27001

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  10. Employee Security Training Checklist

Employee Security Training Checklist

1. Purpose

The Employee Security Training Checklist provides a structured method for verifying that employees receive, complete, understand, and apply required information-security training.

The checklist helps the organization demonstrate that security training is:

  • Assigned based on role and risk
  • Completed within required timelines
  • Appropriate to responsibilities
  • Assessed for effectiveness
  • Recorded as evidence
  • Followed up when overdue or unsuccessful
  • Updated when risks, technology, or responsibilities change

Core Principle

Identify → Assign → Train → Assess → Record → Monitor → Reinforce → Improve

2. When to Use

Use this checklist for:

  • New employees
  • Existing employees
  • Employees changing roles
  • Employees receiving privileged access
  • Employees receiving production access
  • Employees handling sensitive information
  • Employees involved in security operations
  • Developers and technical personnel
  • Annual security-awareness training
  • Role-specific security training
  • Refresher training
  • Incident-driven training
  • Audit-finding-driven training
  • Training after major policy or technology changes

3. Employee Training Information

FieldDetails
Employee Name
Employee ID
Department
Job Title
Manager
Employment Type
Join Date
Training Period
Training Owner
Review Date
Overall Status

4. Employee Role and Risk Assessment

Before assigning training, identify the employee’s responsibilities.

☐ Role identified

☐ Responsibilities documented

☐ Information handled identified

☐ Systems accessed identified

☐ Privileged access identified

☐ Production access identified

☐ Customer-data access identified

☐ Personal-data access identified

☐ Source-code access identified

☐ Cloud access identified

☐ Security responsibilities identified

☐ Role-based training requirements identified

Risk Level

☐ Low

☐ Medium

☐ High

☐ Critical

Risk Rationale

5. Mandatory General Security Training

Verify completion of core security-awareness training.

Training TopicRequiredAssignedCompletedAssessmentStatus
Information Security Responsibilities☐
Acceptable Use☐
Password Security☐
MFA☐
Phishing☐
Social Engineering☐
Malware/Ransomware☐
Incident Reporting☐
Information Classification☐
Data Protection☐
Privacy☐
Remote Working☐
Endpoint Security☐
Physical Security☐
Security Policies☐

6. Information Security Responsibilities

Verify that the employee understands:

☐ Personal security responsibilities

☐ Organizational security requirements

☐ Applicable security policies

☐ Confidentiality obligations

☐ Information-handling responsibilities

☐ Security incident reporting

☐ Protection of organizational assets

☐ Protection of customer information

☐ Protection of credentials

☐ Cooperation with investigations and audits

Employee Understanding

☐ Confirmed

☐ Assessment completed

☐ Additional training required

7. Password and Authentication Security

Verify awareness of:

☐ Strong passwords/passphrases

☐ Password uniqueness

☐ Password-manager usage where approved

☐ No credential sharing

☐ MFA requirements

☐ MFA fatigue attacks

☐ Authentication-code protection

☐ Account-recovery security

☐ Suspicious authentication notifications

☐ Credential-compromise reporting

8. Phishing and Social Engineering

Verify employee understands:

☐ Phishing emails

☐ Spear phishing

☐ Business email compromise

☐ Fake login pages

☐ Malicious attachments

☐ Suspicious links

☐ Social-engineering techniques

☐ Urgent/fraudulent requests

☐ Identity verification

☐ Reporting suspicious messages

Phishing Simulation

☐ Completed

☐ Not applicable

☐ Additional training required

Result

9. Information Classification

Verify that the employee understands the organization’s classification scheme.

☐ Public

☐ Internal

☐ Confidential

☐ Restricted

Employee understands:

☐ Where information may be stored

☐ Who may access information

☐ How information may be shared

☐ How information should be transmitted

☐ How information should be disposed of

Assessment

☐ Passed

☐ Failed

☐ Additional training required

10. Customer and Personal Data

Where applicable, verify training covering:

☐ Customer information

☐ Personal data

☐ Data minimization

☐ Secure sharing

☐ Unauthorized disclosure

☐ Data retention

☐ Data deletion

☐ Privacy incidents

☐ Data-breach reporting

☐ Applicable privacy requirements

11. Acceptable Use

Verify understanding of:

☐ Approved systems

☐ Approved software

☐ Internet usage

☐ Email usage

☐ Personal devices

☐ Removable media

☐ Unauthorized software

☐ Shadow IT

☐ Unauthorized cloud services

☐ Unauthorized AI tools

☐ Security restrictions

12. Remote Working Security

For remote employees:

☐ Secure Wi-Fi

☐ VPN where required

☐ Device locking

☐ Screen privacy

☐ Secure workspace

☐ Protection from unauthorized viewing

☐ Approved communication tools

☐ Secure file sharing

☐ Lost-device reporting

☐ Public-network awareness

13. Endpoint Security

Verify awareness of:

☐ Operating-system updates

☐ Security patches

☐ Endpoint protection

☐ Device encryption

☐ Screen locking

☐ Approved applications

☐ USB/removable media

☐ Malware warnings

☐ Lost/stolen devices

☐ Unauthorized software

14. Incident Reporting

Verify the employee knows:

☐ What constitutes a security incident

☐ What constitutes a security event

☐ Who to contact

☐ How to report

☐ When to report

☐ What information to provide

☐ What actions to avoid

☐ How to preserve evidence

Employee Can Identify the Reporting Channel

☐ Yes

☐ No

Test Performed

☐ Yes

☐ No

15. Malware and Ransomware Awareness

Verify understanding of:

☐ Suspicious attachments

☐ Malicious links

☐ Unexpected software

☐ Ransomware indicators

☐ Malware warnings

☐ Device isolation procedures

☐ Immediate reporting

☐ Backup importance

☐ Prohibition on unauthorized remediation

16. Physical Security

Verify awareness of:

☐ Office access

☐ Visitor security

☐ Badge/access-card protection

☐ Secure workspace

☐ Clear desk

☐ Clear screen

☐ Protection of laptops

☐ Protection of documents

☐ Secure disposal

☐ Reporting lost assets

17. AI Security Awareness

Where employees use AI tools:

☐ Approved AI tools identified

☐ Confidential information restrictions understood

☐ Customer-data restrictions understood

☐ Personal-data restrictions understood

☐ Source-code restrictions understood

☐ Credential/secret restrictions understood

☐ AI-generated content reviewed

☐ Human oversight understood

☐ Shadow-AI risks understood

☐ AI security incidents reportable

Key Rule

Employees must not enter confidential, restricted, personal, customer, credential, or secret information into an AI service unless the organization has explicitly authorized that use.

18. Role-Based Training

Determine whether additional training is required.

Developers

☐ Secure coding

☐ OWASP/security risks

☐ Dependency security

☐ Secrets management

☐ Source-code security

☐ Secure APIs

☐ Security testing

☐ Software supply-chain security

Cloud Administrators

☐ IAM

☐ Least privilege

☐ MFA

☐ Privileged access

☐ Cloud configuration

☐ Logging

☐ Network security

☐ Secrets

☐ Cloud incident response

Security Personnel

☐ Security monitoring

☐ Incident response

☐ Evidence handling

☐ Vulnerability management

☐ Security testing

☐ Risk management

HR

☐ Employee information

☐ Privacy

☐ Confidentiality

☐ Personnel security

Finance

☐ Payment security

☐ Fraud

☐ Business email compromise

☐ Financial-data protection

Management

☐ Security responsibilities

☐ Risk management

☐ Incident escalation

☐ Business continuity

☐ Security governance

19. Privileged User Training

For employees with privileged access:

☐ Privileged access responsibilities explained

☐ Least privilege understood

☐ MFA requirements understood

☐ Administrative account requirements understood

☐ Credential protection understood

☐ Administrative logging understood

☐ Production-security requirements understood

☐ Emergency access requirements understood

☐ Incident reporting understood

☐ Secure administration requirements understood

20. Production Access Training

For employees with production access:

☐ Production environment identified

☐ Access restrictions understood

☐ Change-management requirements understood

☐ Emergency-change requirements understood

☐ Production-data handling understood

☐ Logging requirements understood

☐ Privileged access requirements understood

☐ Incident escalation understood

☐ Backup/recovery responsibilities understood

21. Cloud Security Training

For employees with cloud responsibilities:

☐ Cloud security responsibilities

☐ IAM

☐ MFA

☐ Least privilege

☐ Secure configuration

☐ Network security

☐ Encryption

☐ Logging/monitoring

☐ Backup

☐ Secrets management

☐ Cloud incident response

22. Secure Development Training

For development personnel:

☐ Secure development lifecycle

☐ Secure coding

☐ Code review

☐ Dependency management

☐ Vulnerability remediation

☐ Secrets management

☐ Authentication

☐ Authorization

☐ Input validation

☐ API security

☐ Security testing

☐ Secure deployment

☐ Software supply-chain security

23. Security Policy Training

Verify awareness of applicable policies.

☐ Information Security Policy

☐ Acceptable Use Policy

☐ Access Control Policy

☐ Password/MFA requirements

☐ Information Classification Policy

☐ Incident Management Policy

☐ Remote Working Policy

☐ Cloud Security Policy

☐ Data Protection/Privacy Policy

☐ AI Security Policy

☐ Supplier Security requirements

Policy Acknowledgement

☐ Completed

☐ Pending

☐ Not Applicable

24. New Joiner Training

For new employees:

☐ Security training assigned during onboarding

☐ Required policies communicated

☐ Confidentiality requirements explained

☐ MFA configured

☐ Incident-reporting channel explained

☐ Information classification explained

☐ Acceptable-use requirements explained

☐ Security assessment completed where required

☐ Training completion recorded

25. Annual Refresher Training

Verify that the employee has completed the annual security-awareness program.

☐ Annual training assigned

☐ Annual training completed

☐ Assessment completed

☐ Policies reviewed

☐ Security threats reviewed

☐ Incident reporting reviewed

☐ Phishing awareness refreshed

☐ AI-security awareness refreshed where applicable

26. Training Assessment

For each required course:

CourseScorePassing ScoreResultRetest Required

Result

☐ Passed

☐ Failed

☐ Retest required

☐ Additional training required

27. Training Effectiveness

Assess whether the employee can demonstrate the required behavior.

☐ Understands security responsibilities

☐ Can identify phishing

☐ Can report an incident

☐ Can classify information

☐ Understands MFA

☐ Protects credentials

☐ Handles customer information appropriately

☐ Follows acceptable-use requirements

☐ Understands role-specific security requirements

☐ Demonstrates required security behavior

28. Practical Exercise

Where appropriate, conduct a practical exercise.

Examples:

  • Identify a phishing email
  • Report a simulated incident
  • Classify sample information
  • Identify a suspicious login
  • Respond to a lost-device scenario
  • Identify an unsafe AI usage scenario
  • Identify an unauthorized data-sharing scenario

Exercise

Scenario: ___________________________

Result: _____________________________

Additional Training Required: ☐ Yes ☐ No

29. Training Failure

If the employee fails required training:

☐ Failure recorded

☐ Reason assessed

☐ Additional training assigned

☐ Retest scheduled

☐ Manager notified where appropriate

☐ Security notified where risk warrants

☐ Access implications assessed for high-risk roles

☐ Completion verified

30. Overdue Training

If training is overdue:

☐ Reminder issued

☐ Manager notified

☐ New completion date assigned

☐ Escalation completed where required

☐ Risk assessed

☐ Exception recorded where applicable

☐ Training completed

31. Role Change Training

When an employee changes role:

☐ New responsibilities assessed

☐ New information access identified

☐ New systems identified

☐ New security risks identified

☐ Additional training identified

☐ Privileged-access training completed where applicable

☐ Production-access training completed where applicable

☐ Cloud training completed where applicable

☐ Training evidence recorded

32. Incident-Driven Training

Where an employee is involved in or affected by a security incident:

☐ Incident reviewed

☐ Human-factor contribution assessed

☐ Training need identified

☐ Additional training assigned

☐ Training completed

☐ Effectiveness evaluated

☐ Corrective action recorded where required

33. Audit-Finding-Driven Training

Where an audit finding identifies a training weakness:

☐ Finding reviewed

☐ Root cause considered

☐ Training requirement identified

☐ Target employee/group identified

☐ Training delivered

☐ Effectiveness tested

☐ Evidence retained

☐ Finding follow-up completed

34. Training Evidence

Retain appropriate evidence.

☐ Training assignment

☐ Training completion

☐ Attendance

☐ Training material

☐ Assessment result

☐ Practical exercise

☐ Phishing simulation

☐ Policy acknowledgement

☐ Additional training

☐ Retest

☐ Exception

☐ Manager approval where applicable

Avoid retaining unnecessary sensitive personal information.

35. Employee Training Record

FieldDetails
Employee
Role
Training
Training Date
Training Provider
Delivery Method
Assessment Score
Result
Evidence Location
Next Training Date
Reviewer

36. Training Completion Summary

CategoryRequiredCompletedOutstandingCompletion %
General Awareness
Role-Based
Privileged User
Cloud Security
Secure Development
Privacy
Annual Refresher

37. Employee Training Status

Overall Status

☐ Fully Compliant

☐ Partially Compliant

☐ Training Outstanding

☐ Additional Training Required

☐ Exception Approved

☐ High-Risk Training Outstanding

Outstanding Items

Required Actions

38. Training Exceptions

Where training cannot be completed within the required period:

Training: ___________________________

Reason: _____________________________

Risk: _______________________________

Compensating Measure: _______________

Responsible Manager: ________________

Approval: ___________________________

Expiry/Review Date: _________________

39. Manager Verification

The manager confirms that:

☐ Required training has been identified

☐ Employee has completed applicable training

☐ Role-specific training requirements have been considered

☐ Outstanding training has been addressed

☐ Employee understands relevant security responsibilities

Manager Name: _______________________

Signature/Approval: __________________

Date: _______________________________

40. Security/HR Verification

Security Review

☐ Completed

☐ Additional action required

HR Review

☐ Completed

☐ Additional action required

Security Reviewer: ___________________

HR Reviewer: _________________________

Date: _______________________________

41. AWS SaaS Startup Example

Consider a SaaS startup with:

  • 30 employees
  • AWS production environment
  • GitHub source code
  • Customer data
  • Remote employees
  • 8 developers
  • 2 cloud administrators
  • 2 privileged users

All Employees

Required:

  • Security awareness
  • Phishing
  • MFA
  • Information classification
  • Customer-data protection
  • Incident reporting
  • Remote working
  • AI security

Developers

Additional:

  • Secure coding
  • GitHub security
  • Secrets management
  • Dependency security
  • API security
  • Vulnerability management

Cloud Administrators

Additional:

  • AWS IAM
  • Privileged access
  • MFA
  • Cloud logging
  • Secure configuration
  • Cloud incident response

Audit Trail

Role Identified → Training Requirements Defined → Training Assigned → Training Completed → Assessment → Evidence Recorded → Effectiveness Verified

42. Startup-Friendly Training Model

A startup can keep the process simple.

New Joiner

Complete before or shortly after receiving access, according to the organization’s onboarding process:

  • Security awareness
  • MFA
  • Passwords
  • Acceptable use
  • Information classification
  • Incident reporting

Monthly

One short security-awareness topic.

Quarterly

One focused training or practical exercise.

Annually

Full security-awareness refresher.

When Risk Changes

Additional training following:

  • New technology
  • New role
  • New privileged access
  • Security incident
  • Major vulnerability
  • Audit finding
  • New regulation
  • New customer requirement

43. Common Mistakes

Avoid:

  • Treating training completion as proof of effectiveness.
  • Giving every employee exactly the same training.
  • Failing to train new joiners.
  • Ignoring contractors.
  • Ignoring privileged users.
  • Ignoring developers.
  • Ignoring cloud administrators.
  • Not tracking overdue training.
  • Not testing employee understanding.
  • Not providing additional training after role changes.
  • Not using incidents and audit findings to improve training.
  • Retaining excessive employee information.
  • Failing to retain sufficient evidence.
  • Treating annual awareness as the only training activity.

44. Relationship With Other ISMS Documents

DocumentRelationship
Information Security Awareness PolicyDefines awareness expectations
Security Awareness and Training ProcedureDefines the training process
Annual Security Awareness PlanDefines yearly training activities
Employee Security Training ChecklistVerifies individual training
Security Awareness Training RegisterRecords training activities
Employee Onboarding ChecklistIncludes initial security training
Employee Role Change ChecklistIdentifies new training requirements
Employee Security ResponsibilitiesDefines security responsibilities
Incident Response ProcedureProvides incident-reporting requirements
Policy Compliance Review ChecklistVerifies security requirements are followed
Internal Audit ChecklistProvides independent verification
Corrective Action TrackerTracks training-related corrective actions

45. ISO 27001 Connection

Security training supports the organization’s ability to ensure that people performing work under its control understand relevant information-security responsibilities and have the necessary awareness and competence for their roles.

Training requirements should be determined based on:

  • ISMS scope
  • Information-security risks
  • Job responsibilities
  • Information handled
  • System access
  • Privileged access
  • Applicable security controls
  • Legal and regulatory requirements
  • Customer requirements
  • Security incidents
  • Audit findings
  • Technology changes

The Employee Security Training Checklist is not itself a universally prescribed ISO 27001 form. The organization should determine the appropriate training, frequency, evidence, assessment, and effectiveness requirements based on its ISMS and risk environment.

46. Final Audit Checklist

☐ Employee role identified

☐ Security responsibilities identified

☐ Training requirements determined

☐ General security training completed

☐ Role-based training completed

☐ Privileged-access training completed where applicable

☐ Cloud training completed where applicable

☐ Secure-development training completed where applicable

☐ Privacy/data-protection training completed where applicable

☐ Phishing awareness completed

☐ Incident reporting understood

☐ Information classification understood

☐ MFA/password security understood

☐ AI-security requirements understood where applicable

☐ Training assessment completed

☐ Effectiveness evaluated

☐ Overdue training addressed

☐ Exceptions documented

☐ Training evidence retained

☐ Manager verification completed

☐ Security/HR review completed

47. Final Audit Trail

For each employee, the organization should be able to demonstrate:

What is the employee’s role?
What information and systems do they access?
What security risks apply to their role?
What training is required?
Was the training completed?
Did the employee understand the training?
Was effectiveness tested?
Was additional training required?
Was overdue training followed up?
Was training updated when the employee’s role changed?
Is sufficient evidence available for audit?

Final Principle

Employee security training is effective only when the organization can demonstrate not just that training was completed, but that the employee understood the relevant security responsibilities and can apply them in their day-to-day work.

Training lifecycle:

Identify Role → Assess Risk → Define Training → Assign → Complete → Assess → Verify → Record → Monitor → Reinforce → Improve