October Cybersecurity Training

In support of Governor Little’s proclamation that October is National Cybersecurity Month, the State of Idaho Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Division of Human Resources (DHR) have teamed up to increase efforts related to training and protection from cyber attacks that have increasingly targeted state and local government agencies. The goal is to help protect your information and state networks from cyber-attacks through increased training for all State employees, including our Idaho State University employees.

In October, employees will be asked to complete a short (5 minutes) training module in KnowBe4, the State’s online training provider. KnowBe4 training modules are typically short, informative, and can be completed at your own pace. After completing refresher training modules in October, all State employees will also be assigned new annual cybersecurity training modules to complete in February 2024, as part of DHR’s required annual training campaign. 

What you can expect: 

Oct. 2 - DHR will email unique training links to all ISU employees with directions to access your KnowBe4 training account. Employees will have until Tuesday, Oct. 31  to complete this module. If you DO NOT see this email, check your spam folder. Please click on your unique link in the email to ensure your completion is recorded. If you have trouble finding the training link, navigate to www.knowbe4.com and click on the "Account Login" option in the top right corner.  

NOTE: Your login credentials are your ISU email address and a password that you would have originally created specifically for KnowBe4 (for previous years' training). As a State of Idaho training system, the KnowBe4 system is NOT connected to BengalWeb. Therefore, your email login may be your original 4x4 ISU email address, rather than your new firstnamelastname format. If you have forgotten your password, it can be reset by selecting the "Forgot Your Password" option on the account login page, and following the prompts. If you have forgotten which email is your username please email Clay Smith at claysmith2@isu.edu. 

February 2024 - DHR will send out emails to all employees with annual training requirements, which are typically due for completion by the end of March, and must be completed to receive change in employee compensation (CEC) increases, should one be approved by the legislature. For new employees: New employees are assigned DHR cybersecurity training through an email directly from DHR the month following their hire. DHR requests new employees complete their cybersecurity training within 14 days of assignment.  As new annual and refresher training is assigned each year, new employees will also receive email prompts directly from DHR to complete additional modules on the same frequency as current employees. 

If you have any questions about this process, please contact training@isu.edu, or (208) 282-2519.