Reporting a security incident: what to report, how, and how fast
For every employee, with no technical background needed. You'll practise spotting suspicious messages in an inbox, choosing your company's internal reporting route, writing a short useful report, and acting quickly when you've already clicked or shared something. Based on UK NCSC and US CISA public guidance; your company's own procedure decides the exact route.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 55 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify messages and events in a work inbox that should be reported as possible security incidents
- Choose your company's internal reporting route and use it before taking any other action on a suspicious message
- Write a short incident report that says what happened, when, and what you clicked, opened or entered
- Report at once after clicking a link or sharing a password, and change the password as IT instructs
- Verify an unusual request through contact details you already hold instead of replying to the message
Course outline
- 1.Which messages and events to reportLesson · 10 min
- 2.Choosing your company's internal reporting routeLesson · 8 min
- 3.Writing a short incident reportLesson · 8 min
- 4.After clicking a link or sharing a password: report at onceLesson · 8 min
- 5.Verifying an unusual request, and mistakes to avoidLesson · 10 min
- 6.Reporting a security incident: what to report, how, and how fast: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Reporting a security incident: what to report, how, and how fast: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
See it with your own jobs and topics
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