October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Across the month, ISC2 will be looking at cybersecurity awareness from the perspective of our members – how they raise awareness and improve education of cybersecurity issues within their wider organizations, how they improve awareness and recognition of the role of the cybersecurity team and how they approach changing attitudes and culture to be more cybersecurity-minded.
For many organizations, cybersecurity is still perceived as the responsibility of the security team. Firewalls, threat detection, vulnerability management and incident response are often viewed as specialist functions that sit within IT or security operations. While these capabilities remain essential, the reality is that cybersecurity risk extends far beyond the cybersecurity department. Every employee, supplier, contractor and, in some cases, customer can influence an organization’s security posture.
As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve in sophistication and scale, organizations must recognize that cybersecurity awareness is not simply a training exercise. It is an imperative that requires participation from across the enterprise. Creating a security-conscious culture is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk, improve resilience and strengthen organizational trust.
October is the annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an international effort to raise awareness of cybersecurity in the workplace and in wider society. Among the themes this year is “Don’t make it easy for them”, recognizing the need for cultural change, a healthy dose of skepticism and awareness of threats alongside technological countermeasures.
Throughout October, ISC2 will be putting cybersecurity awareness and the essential role of cybersecurity professionals in the spotlight. Our Cybersecurity Awareness Month page is a hub for a variety of resources and information, centered around our own theme of “Everyday Life. Secured.” This highlights the role of cybersecurity professionals who help make those ordinary moments safer, more resilient and more secure — sharing practical insights from members who bring cyber awareness to life every day. A series of videos shared across October will highlight scenarios where cybersecurity is paramount to keeping our everyday lives secure and running smoothly. Today, watch our opening video from ISC2 CEO Scott Beale.
Why Awareness Matters Beyond the Security Team
Many of today's most damaging cybersecurity incidents begin with a human action rather than a technical failure. Phishing emails, social engineering attacks, accidental data exposure, credential misuse and poor security practices can create opportunities for attackers regardless of how sophisticated an organization’s technical defenses may be.
Cybersecurity professionals understand this reality better than most. They see firsthand how threat actors exploit human behavior, organizational processes and supply chain relationships to gain access to valuable systems and data. Yet too often this knowledge remains concentrated within cybersecurity teams.
A successful security program requires every employee to understand their role in protecting organizational assets. Finance teams must recognize payment fraud attempts. Human resources professionals should be aware of identity-based attacks. Marketing teams need to understand data privacy obligations. Executives must be prepared to make informed decisions during cyber incidents. Every department has a part to play.
When awareness becomes embedded throughout the organization, security transforms from a specialist function into a shared responsibility.
Cybersecurity Preparedness: What ISC2 Members Are Seeing
A recent poll of 150 ISC2 members suggested that many organizations recognize the value of involving the wider workplace in cybersecurity preparedness exercises.
When asked, "When was the last time your organization hosted a cybersecurity drill with stakeholders outside the IT team?" encouragingly, respondents suggested that many organizations are conducting cybersecurity exercises that involve participants beyond IT and security functions. Nearly two-thirds (62%) reported that their organization had conducted a cybersecurity drill involving stakeholders outside the IT team within the previous 12 months. This demonstrates growing recognition that incident preparedness requires coordination across multiple departments.
However, only one in five (20.7%) said such an exercise had taken place within the last three months. Perhaps most strikingly, 28% of respondents were unsure when, or if, such drills had occurred at all.
This lack of visibility highlights a common challenge for many organizations: while cybersecurity teams may be actively preparing for incidents, the broader workforce is not always aware of those efforts, involved in their implementation or clear on what expectations the organization has of them in the event of an incident.
Cybersecurity drills provide valuable opportunities to test decision-making, communication processes and incident response capabilities under realistic conditions. Perhaps more importantly, they help non-technical stakeholders understand their role during a cybersecurity incident before a real crisis occurs.
The Value of Cybersecurity Expertise
Cybersecurity professionals possess a unique combination of technical expertise, practical experience and industry-recognized credentials. Whether through certifications such as the CISSP, CCSP, CGRC or SSCP, security practitioners have validated their knowledge across areas including risk management, security operations, cloud security, governance and incident response.
This expertise represents a valuable organizational resource that should not be confined to security teams alone.
Cybersecurity professionals are uniquely positioned to educate colleagues about emerging threats, explain complex security concepts in practical terms and provide guidance on safe behaviors. They can translate technical risks into business language that employees, executives and external stakeholders can understand and act upon.
Regular awareness sessions, tabletop exercises, departmental workshops and scenario-based learning opportunities allow cybersecurity teams to share their knowledge across the wider organization. This approach not only improves security outcomes but also helps build stronger relationships between security teams and business units.
When employees understand the purpose behind security controls rather than viewing them as obstacles, compliance and engagement often improve significantly.
Building a Culture of Security
Creating a security-aware organization is not achieved through an annual compliance training module alone. It requires ongoing engagement, leadership support and meaningful participation across the organization.
For ISC2 members and cybersecurity professionals, the challenge is clear. The industry has developed considerable knowledge, practical experience and professional expertise. The next steps are enabling that knowledge to reach beyond the security team and empower the wider organization, along with ensuring the organization understands and recognizes the role of its cybersecurity professionals at the center of the dealing with cybersecurity challenges.
Throughout Cybersecurity Awareness Month, ISC2 members will be sharing their advice, strategies and experiences tacking cybersecurity awareness in their organizations through a series of ISC2 Insights articles.
By elevating awareness across the entire ecosystem, cybersecurity professionals can help build organizations that are not only more secure, but also more resilient, informed and prepared for the challenges ahead. We encourage you to keep the Cybersecurity Awareness Month conversation going and to share your own experiences and learning opportunities with us and your peers.
