ICS Cybersecurity Awareness: Strengthening Defense Through Policies, Procedures, and Training

Tackling the Human Factor in ICS Security

This poster highlights the unique need for ICS-specific cybersecurity awareness training within critical infrastructure environments. Unlike traditional IT environments, ICS systems manage real-time engineering processes where safety is paramount, making the alignment of cybersecurity training with safety protocols essential. The poster details how role-based training for operators, engineers, and leaders reinforces the critical importance of awareness in defending industrial systems against evolving cyber threats. It emphasizes that every individual involved in industrial operations—regardless of their role—contributes to securing critical infrastructure through comprehensive policies, procedures, and ICS-specific cybersecurity practices.

By embedding cybersecurity awareness within the existing safety culture, organizations can strengthen both operational resilience and defense against threats, ensuring the continuous protection of vital systems.

The content of this poster, written by Dean Parsons, supports the SANS Security Awareness ICS Modules and SANS ICS418: ICS Security Essentials for Managers course, offering key strategies for fostering a strong security culture tailored to industrial environments.