homepage
Menu
Open menu
  • Training
    Go one level top Back

    Training

    • Courses

      Build cyber prowess with training from renowned experts

    • Hands-On Simulations

      Hands-on learning exercises keep you at the top of your cyber game

    • Certifications

      Demonstrate cybersecurity expertise with GIAC certifications

    • Ways to Train

      Multiple training options to best fit your schedule and preferred learning style

    • Training Events & Summits

      Expert-led training at locations around the world

    • Free Training Events

      Upcoming workshops, webinars and local events

    • Security Awareness

      Harden enterprise security with end-user and role-based training

    Featured: Solutions for Emerging Risks

    Discover tailored resources that translate emerging threats into actionable strategies

    Risk-Based Solutions

    Can't find what you are looking for?

    Let us help.
    Contact us
  • Learning Paths
    Go one level top Back

    Learning Paths

    • By Focus Area

      Chart your path to job-specific training courses

    • By NICE Framework

      Navigate cybersecurity training through NICE framework roles

    • DoDD 8140 Work Roles

      US DoD 8140 Directive Frameworks

    • By European Skills Framework

      Align your enterprise cyber skills with ECSF profiles

    • By Skills Roadmap

      Find the right training path based on critical skills

    • New to Cyber

      Give your cybersecurity career the right foundation for success

    • Leadership

      Training designed to help security leaders reduce organizational risk

    • Degree and Certificate Programs

      Gain the skills, certifications, and confidence to launch or advance your cybersecurity career.

    Featured

    New to Cyber resources

    Start your career
  • Community Resources
    Go one level top Back

    Community Resources

    Watch & Listen

    • Webinars
    • Live Streams
    • Podcasts

    Read

    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • White Papers
    • Internet Storm Center

    Download

    • Open Source Tools
    • Posters & Cheat Sheets
    • Policy Templates
    • Summit Presentations
    • SANS Community Benefits

      Connect, learn, and share with other cybersecurity professionals

    • CISO Network

      Engage, challenge, and network with fellow CISOs in this exclusive community of security leaders

  • For Organizations
    Go one level top Back

    For Organizations

    Team Development

    • Why Partner with SANS
    • Group Purchasing
    • Skills & Talent Assessments
    • Private & Custom Training

    Leadership Development

    • Leadership Courses & Accreditation
    • Executive Cybersecurity Exercises
    • CISO Network

    Security Awareness

    • End-User Training
    • Phishing Simulation
    • Specialized Role-Based Training
    • Risk Assessments
    • Public Sector Partnerships

      Explore industry-specific programming and customized training solutions

    • Sponsorship Opportunities

      Sponsor a SANS event or research paper

    Interested in developing a training plan to fit your organization’s needs?

    We're here to help.
    Contact us
  • Talk with an expert
  • Log In
  • Join - it's free
  • Account
    • Account Dashboard
    • Log Out
  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. SANS ICS Security Awareness - New Series: Managing Human Risk in Industrial Control System Environments
DeanParsons_340x340.png
Dean Parsons

SANS ICS Security Awareness - New Series: Managing Human Risk in Industrial Control System Environments

A dedicated ICS security awareness training program is no longer an option, it’s imperative to help manage human risk

October 2, 2023

Our Role in the Safety of Industrial Control Systems

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) systems run electricity generation, water supply, oil and gas, transportation networks, manufacturing processes, and more. The importance of protecting critical infrastructure that support our daily lives, and ensuring they operate safety, cannot be overstated. For several years now, the human element has been involved in approximately 80% of all breaches. This metric illustrates that security is not just a technology challenge but also a challenge in managing human risk. In the case of ICS/OT systems, where preventing safety impacts are paramount, this is clearly an identified risk that must be properly managed for our critical infrastructure.

ICS Defense in Depth Layers and Security Awareness Deployment

The first layer of the ICS defense in depth practice is Policies, Procedures, and Awareness. In this context, awareness means fostering a culture of ICS cybersecurity awareness among ICS operators, engineers, and stakeholders. Security awareness is crucial to safeguarding all critical infrastructure in every ICS sector. It is in fact, foundational to a functional ICS defense in depth strategy.

As ICS engineering processes become increasingly interconnected, the need for dedicated ICS cybersecurity awareness has never been more apparent. ICS security awareness empowers control system environments personnel to make informed decisions and contribute to a physically safer and more resilient engineering environment.

No matter your role in an organization with industrial control systems and processes, everyone has a part to play in securing the critical infrastructure systems that power our world against cyber threats.

Reduce ICS Risk and Mature Safety with ICS-Specific Security Awareness

ICS security awareness bridges the gaps and differences between IT and ICS, enables convergence of skillsets and modern threats, and considers legacy assets, unique control system risks, and required ICS incident response steps unlike what is used in IT. As such, for mature ICS facilities, a dedicated ICS Security Awareness program is part of their regular security defense and defense implementation plans. Many use the SANS Security Awareness Maturity Model. The SANS Security Awareness Maturity Model has become the industry standard which organizations use not only to benchmark the maturity of their security awareness program but leverage it as a strategic roadmap to both plan and communicate the impact of their program. What makes this model so powerful is that it helps organizations quickly determine why their program may not be having the impact they want, provides proven steps they can take to mature their program, and details how to communicate the value of the program to leadership. This model enables organizations and facilities to effectively manage their human risk in both IT and ICS/OT environments.

The SANS Security Awareness Maturity Model

Short ICS security awareness training modules with knowledge-checks make a positive change in culture to reduce overall ICS-specific risk and can improve safety in any ICS sector.

The NEW SANS ICS Cybersecurity Awareness Series

Modern security awareness initiatives for IT environments must continue. However, for ICS organizations, security awareness must go beyond traditional IT security awareness content.  That’s why the SANS Institute is excited to announce the release of our NEW ICS Engineer Security Awareness Training. This new series of short-form ICS/OT cybersecurity awareness training modules helps reduce cyber risk and improve safety in critical infrastructure sectors that make, move, and power the world.

Updated SANS Security Awareness Program Modules

The new SANS ICS security awareness training consists of more than 20 new training modules, specifically developed to address the unique risks and defense capabilities for individuals working in critical infrastructure environments. Each training module includes live course recordings delivered by certified instructors and related animations illustrating each learning objective. The modules are designed to detail recent ICS threats, related countermeasures, and critical, archivable risk-reducing improvements. They can be deployed in a newly established ICS security awareness program or added to an existing program to address ICS specific challenges, risks, and related control system defenses.

Each of the 21 new modules contain knowledge checks in a modern delivery style and cover the following main topics:

  1. ICS Security Awareness Introduction
  2. ICS Security Awareness Overview
  3. Overview of Attacks in ICS
  4. ICS Attack Surfaces
  5. ICS Network Security
  6. ICS Server Security
  7. ICS System Maintenance
  8. ICS Information Assurance
  9. ICS Incident Response
  10. ICS Attack Scenario
  11. Ukraine Attack
  12. Phishing
  13. Ransomware in ICS
  14. ICS Security Awareness and Reporting
  15. ICS Removeable Media
  16. Cyber Engineering Oldsmar Event
  17. ICS Transient Cyber Assets
  18. Operating Through a Ransomware Attack in ICS
  19. ICS Perimeter Attack
  20. ICS Supply Chain Attack
  21. ICS Security Awareness Modules Conclusion
ICS Security Awareness Module Summaries and Animations

The New ICS Security Awareness Program Benefits

  • By including SANS ICS security awareness short-format training as part of your organization’s awareness program, you can ensure everyone understands their contribution as part of the solution, regardless of their position or role.
  • The ICS training series covers real-world use cases to inform and educate your teams on how to protect against threats and respond to security incidents.
  • Your administrative and non-technical employees will gain the knowledge to better understand their crucial roles and contributions to critical infrastructure protection.
  • Corporate leadership will examine critical skills best practices such as incident handling, information assurance, and supply chain risk.
  • The ICS security awareness training is continuously updated by Certified SANS Instructors who are ICS field practitioners and industry subject matter experts.
  • Modular, computer-based training enables flexibility in training schedule.
  • Each module contains knowledge check quizzes for greater learner comprehension and retention where participation and performance is measured for easy reporting and areas for improvement.
  • SANS ICS security awareness training is SCORM and US Federal 508-compliant.
Certified Instructor-led live recordings provide a classroom experience in each module.

Targeting Roles for ICS Security Awareness

The new ICS security awareness training is role-based, so you can customize your security awareness training based on the needs of your specific workforce, from your non-technical staff to your veteran industrial cyber practitioners, all the way up to your executives and board of directors. Your ICS security awareness training program should target roles including but not limited to:

  • Process Engineers: Designs and optimizes plant processes.
  • Field Technicians: Maintains and repairs field equipment.
  • ICS/OT Programmers: Writes technical program logic for field devices.
  • ICS/OT Network Architects: Designs network access, Purdue, etc.
  • Engineering Operators: Manages, views, and controls overall process.
  • Owners: Key stakeholder.
  • ICS/OT and IT Security Teams: Nuances of ICS specific security.
  • Integrator/Vendor/Contractors: On-site or remote support, integrators.
  • Safety Teams: On-site physical safety teams.
  • ICS Security Managers/Leaders: ICS, IT/OT management – VP Engineering, CSO, etc.

When a facility deploys the SANS Institute’s ICS security awareness training, the initiative can be measured to contribute to managing ICS risk reductions. In ICS418: ICS Security Essentials for Managers, we teach you and your workforce how to deploy, measure, and track ICS security awareness initiatives. For example, each of your employees that takes ICS418 walks through a leadership lab on how to tailor the ADKAR Model for ICS and how to be most effective at delivery and reducing ICS risk as it applies to an organization’s operating culture.

ICS Security Awareness: Behind the Scenes Shooting

Tim Conway and I teamed up in the SANS recording studio to create all-new scripts and a new approach to on-screen graphics with a focus on content delivery for the most effective learning experience.

Conclusion and Next Steps

As industrial control systems increasingly adopt new technology, threats posed by cybercriminals to critical infrastructure also increase. Industrial control system security awareness is no longer an option but an imperative. By fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness, adopting best practices, and collaborating across sectors, we can build resilience and protect our critical infrastructure in the digital age. With targeted, easy-to-deploy ICS/OT-specific security awareness modules, facilities can deploy training, reduce human risk, and measure effectiveness and participation with quick knowledge checks. All of which is doable, measurable, and required for today’s modern ICS/OT cybersecurity defense programs.

Learn more about the NEW SANS ICS Security Awareness Training content and modules.

Learn more about the ICS418: ICS Security Essentials for Managers course.

Learn more about the ICS515: ICS Visibility, Detection, and Response course.

Share:
TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Copy url Url was copied to clipboard
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote D'ivoire
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, United Republic Of
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tags:
  • Industrial Control Systems Security
  • Security Awareness

Related Content

Blog
Industrial Control Systems Security
May 19, 2025
Culture Over Checklists: How NextEra Is Rethinking NERC CIP with People at the Center
When people ask me what makes a successful NERC CIP program, my answer is always the same: it’s not just about compliance, it’s about culture. You can meet every regulatory requirement and still be vulnerable. You can pass every audit and still lack resilience. The organizations that stand out—the...
370x370_Jason-D-Christopher.jpg
Jason D. Christopher
read more
Blog
emerging threats summit 340x340.png
Digital Forensics, Incident Response & Threat Hunting, Offensive Operations, Pen Testing, and Red Teaming, Cyber Defense, Industrial Control Systems Security, Cybersecurity Leadership
May 14, 2025
Visual Summary of SANS Emerging Threats Summit 2025
Check out these graphic recordings created in real-time throughout the event for SANS Emerging Threats Summit 2025
No Headshot Available
Alison Kim
read more
Blog
Blog - Cloudy with a Chance of_340 x 340.jpg
Industrial Control Systems Security
May 13, 2025
Cloudy with a Chance of Industrial Cyber Threats, Part 1
Cloud in ICS/OT can enable scalable data storage, remote monitoring, analytics, disaster recovery, & industrial process control capabilities.
DeanParsons_340x340.png
Dean Parsons
read more
  • Company
  • Mission
  • Instructors
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Policies
  • Training Programs
  • Work Study
  • Academies & Scholarships
  • Public Sector Partnerships
  • Law Enforcement
  • SkillsFuture Singapore
  • Degree Programs
  • Get Involved
  • Join the Community
  • Become an Instructor
  • Become a Sponsor
  • Speak at a Summit
  • Join the CISO Network
  • Award Programs
  • Partner Portal
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote D'ivoire
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, United Republic Of
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
  • Contact
  • Careers
© 2025 The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies, Inc. d/b/a SANS Institute. Our Terms and Conditions detail our trademark and copyright rights. Any unauthorized use is expressly prohibited.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn