What is the primary goal of a security awareness program?

The primary goal of a security awareness program is to educate employees about security risks. This approach is critical as employees are often the first line of defense against security threats. By understanding the types of security risks present, such as phishing attacks, social engineering, and malware threats, employees can better protect both themselves and the organization.

Security awareness training empowers individuals to recognize potentially harmful situations and respond appropriately, thus fostering a culture of security within the organization. The more informed employees are about how their actions can impact security, the more likely they are to engage in safe practices and promote a proactive security environment.

In contrast, providing technical knowledge to IT staff addresses a different aspect of security—it's focused more on specialized skills rather than broadly educating all employees. Enforcing software updates is a necessary practice but is more of a tactical action within an IT framework rather than an overarching goal involving employee engagement. Similarly, developing incident response strategies is a crucial part of a broader security framework aimed at addressing incidents after they occur, rather than focusing on prevention through awareness.