Cybersecurity awareness training teaches employees the everyday behaviours that keep an organisation safe, from spotting phishing and social engineering to using strong authentication, handling data correctly and reporting incidents promptly. It uses realistic scenarios, a phishing lab and live drills, including AI-driven scams. Bodhih recommends a 3-hour interactive session followed by quarterly 45-minute refreshers.
- Recommended: 3-hour interactive session, plus quarterly 45-minute refreshers
- Level: Foundation · In person · Live virtual · Blended · E-learning
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: security awareness training, phishing awareness training, cyber security training for employees, information security awareness
Where and how: cybersecurity awareness training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Attackers target people, not just systems
Phishing emails, fake payment requests, voice and video deepfakes and malicious QR codes all aim at the same weak point: a busy person making a quick decision. Technical controls help, but they cannot catch everything.
Regular cybersecurity awareness training builds instincts that hold under pressure. In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 were notified in November 2025, which adds weight to how staff handle personal data.
Breaches involving a third party doubled to 30% in Verizon's 2025 analysis, underlining supply-chain and partner risk.
Networks and cybersecurity rank just behind AI and big data among the fastest-growing skills to 2030.
What participants will be able to do
Spot phishing quickly
Identify the warning signs in emails, messages, calls and QR codes within seconds.
Resist social engineering
Recognise pressure tactics, pretexting and impersonation, including AI-generated voices and videos.
Secure accounts and devices
Use strong passphrases, multi-factor authentication and safe habits on laptops and phones.
Handle data correctly
Apply data classification, clean-desk and sharing rules, including when using AI tools.
Work safely anywhere
Follow secure practices at home, in transit and on public Wi-Fi.
Report without delay
Know exactly how and when to report a suspected incident, and why speed matters more than blame.
Who should attend
- All employees, including new joiners during induction
- Finance and accounts teams handling payments and vendor changes
- Managers and executive assistants who are frequent impersonation targets
- Customer-facing staff in BFSI and retail handling personal data
- Plant, warehouse and frontline teams using shared devices
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01The threat landscape in plain languageModule 1 · 30 min+
- How attackers choose targets
- Ransomware, business email compromise and data theft
- Why every role matters
02Phishing and social engineering labModule 2 · 60 min+
- Dissecting real-style phishing emails and messages
- Vishing, smishing and QR code scams
- Deepfake voice and video impersonation
- Drill: the urgent vendor bank change request
03Passwords, MFA and devicesModule 3 · 30 min+
- Passphrases and password managers
- MFA fatigue attacks and how to respond
- Updates, USB devices and lost-device steps
04Data protection do's and don'tsModule 4 · 40 min+
- Data classification in everyday work
- Personal data and India's data protection rules at a glance
- Safe use of cloud storage and AI tools
- Clean desk and screen habits
05Secure hybrid workModule 5 · 20 min+
- Home networks and public Wi-Fi
- Video call and screen-sharing hygiene
- Travel security basics
06Incident reporting and responseModule 6 · 20 min+
- What to report and to whom
- The first ten minutes after a mistake
- Building a no-blame reporting culture
Sample training plan: 1-day hands-on design
This one-day design builds security instincts that hold under pressure. Participants dissect real-style phishing emails, messages and QR codes, take calls from a 'vendor' demanding an urgent bank change, hear a cloned voice of their 'CFO', set up passphrases and multi-factor authentication, classify documents before sharing them with AI tools and practise the first ten minutes after a mistake. Every activity uses scenarios from their own sector, and people leave knowing exactly how to report.
Participants can recognise and respond to common attacks, protect accounts and data, and report incidents without delay.
- 09:30–10:00Scam or legit?Energiser
- 10:00–10:30How attackers choose youConcept burst
- 10:30–11:00Phishing dissection labHands-on lab
- 11:15–12:15Drill: the urgent vendor bank changeSimulation
- 12:15–13:00Voice, video and QR tricksDemo & practice
- 13:45–14:30Passphrases and MFA set-upHands-on lab
- 14:30–15:15What can I share?Group challenge
- 15:30–16:00Safe anywhereCase clinic
- 16:00–16:45Capstone: the first ten minutesRole-play
- 16:45–17:30My security habits planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 1 day in person for high-risk roles such as finance, managers and executive assistants (09:30–17:30); a 3.5-hour all-staff version draws on the morning; followed by short quarterly refreshers. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is cybersecurity awareness training?
The recommended design is one day in person for high-risk roles such as finance, managers and executive assistants. A 3.5-hour all-staff version uses the morning's content, and it also runs as three live virtual sessions. Short quarterly refreshers keep the habits fresh.
What activities are included in cybersecurity awareness training?
Participants vote on real-style scam messages, dissect phishing emails with highlighters, handle an urgent vendor bank change in a timed drill, hear a cloned executive voice, set up multi-factor authentication and practise reporting a mistake within the first ten minutes.
How we deliver it
Scenario-first learning
Each topic starts with a realistic situation from your sector, such as a fake invoice in BFSI or a spoofed supplier in manufacturing.
Aligned with your security team
We align content with your policies, reporting channels and tools, and can complement any phishing simulations your security team runs.
Short, repeated refreshers
Awareness fades, so we recommend brief quarterly refreshers and microlearning rather than a single annual session.
Inclusive delivery
Sessions can be run in simple English with local examples, and adapted for shop-floor or shift-based teams.
Tailored versions
For finance and leadership teams
Deeper practice on business email compromise, payment fraud, deepfake impersonation and verification protocols for urgent requests.
For IT and GCC teams
Adds secure handling of client data, privileged access hygiene and awareness of supply-chain and third-party risks.
For frontline and plant teams
A shorter, highly visual format covering shared devices, USB risks, phone scams and simple reporting steps.
How we measure impact
Under the Evaluate stage of ADDIE, a pre and post awareness assessment on AssessAll measures recognition of threats and correct responses. Where your security team shares data, we track trends in simulation click rates and reporting rates across the following months. At 30, 60 and 90 days, short refreshers and quick quizzes check retention, and we recommend focused follow-up for teams showing higher risk.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is cybersecurity awareness training?
It is training that helps employees recognise and avoid common cyber threats, such as phishing, social engineering and unsafe data handling. Good cybersecurity awareness training is practical and scenario-based, so people build habits that hold up when they are busy, tired or under pressure.
How often should employees get security awareness training?
An annual session on its own tends to fade quickly. Bodhih recommends a core interactive session, then short quarterly refreshers and reminders tied to current threats. New joiners should complete training during induction, and high-risk roles, such as finance, benefit from additional focused sessions.
How do you spot a phishing email?
Look for urgency, unexpected requests, mismatched sender addresses, unusual links or attachments and requests to bypass normal process. Hover over links before clicking and verify any payment or credential request through a separate, known channel. When in doubt, report it rather than deleting it.
What should an employee do after clicking a phishing link?
Report it immediately through your organisation's reporting channel, disconnect from the network if advised and do not try to fix it alone. Change any password you entered, using a clean device. Quick reporting limits damage, which is why the program stresses a no-blame culture.
Does the training cover AI-driven scams and deepfakes?
Yes. We include realistic examples of AI-written phishing, cloned voices and video impersonation, and teach simple verification habits such as call-backs on known numbers and code words for urgent payment requests. We also cover safe use of AI tools so employees do not leak data by accident.
Is this a replacement for technical security controls?
No, awareness training complements firewalls, email filtering, endpoint protection and access controls. It addresses the human side, which technology alone cannot cover. We work alongside your security team so the training reinforces the specific tools and processes you have in place.
Can cybersecurity awareness training be tailored to our industry?
Yes, during the Analyse stage we review your policies, recent incidents or near misses and the threats most relevant to your sector. A bank session might centre on customer data and payment fraud, while a manufacturing session covers shared devices and supplier impersonation. Examples, language and drills are adjusted to each audience.