Practical Cyber Security Training Techniques for New IT Support Employees

Purely technical skills can be readily acquired via classroom instruction, books, certifications and on-the-job training. Technical skill alone, however, is of limited utility when attempting to detect, assess and respond to live threats to an organization's production systems. IT support personnel - from the warehouse to the server room - need to be trained on how to perceive threats as they manifest. That requires hands-on, mentored, and nuanced instruction. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology derived from a decade of turning non-technical military recruits into cyber security professionals. It focuses on the creation, application and refinement of instructor-led, immersive cyber threat management scenarios coupled with guided feedback.