Operations Security and Insider Threat Awareness Training Course

Protecting critical operations, sensitive information, and organizational resources requires awareness of how information can be exposed and how security risks can develop. This course introduces Operations Security (OPSEC) and Insider Threat awareness for personnel who work for, support, or have authorized access to Department of Defense resources.

Participants learn to recognize information-exposure risks, understand observable insider threat indicators, verify information requests, and report security concerns through designated channels. The course also explains the distinction between unauthorized disclosure and protected whistleblowing.

Designed to support security awareness across government and defense-related operations, this training helps personnel understand their role in protecting people, missions, facilities, systems, and information.

Training Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of Operations Security (OPSEC) and Insider Threat awareness.
• Recognize information-exposure risks and potential adversary collection methods.
• Identify observable behaviors that may warrant reporting.
• Distinguish protected whistleblowing from unauthorized disclosure.
• Apply safe practices for verifying information requests and reporting security concerns.

Course Overview

If you work for, support, or have authorized access to Department of Defense resources, your day-to-day decisions help protect people, missions, facilities, systems, and information. This course introduces two closely connected security concepts: Operations Security (OPSEC) and Insider Threat awareness.

At an awareness level, OPSEC is a process of identifying sensitive or critical information, recognizing where and how it might be exposed, assessing the risks of that exposure, and applying countermeasures to protect it. It requires personnel to consider daily operations from an adversary's perspective and recognize vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

A foundational OPSEC concept is information aggregation. Individually, details such as supplier names, travel schedules, technical specifications, or facility layouts might seem harmless. However, adversaries can collect and combine seemingly trivial information from multiple sources to reveal critical capabilities, schedules, technologies, locations, personnel, or vulnerabilities. OPSEC principles therefore apply at conferences, trade shows, during work travel, and when posting information on social media.

The course also introduces Insider Threat awareness. An insider is a person with authorized access to government, organizational, or customer resources, including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, networks, or systems. An insider threat is the risk that an individual may use authorized access, intentionally or unintentionally, in a way that harms U.S. security, organizational resources, people, missions, systems, or information.

Intentional misuse can include espionage, sabotage, targeted violence, or deliberate unauthorized disclosure. Unintentional misuse can involve mistakes, negligence, or failures to follow security procedures that expose protected information or compromise organizational resources. An insider threat is not a label to apply to a person. It is a risk that must be assessed using reliable information, appropriate procedures, and applicable privacy and civil-liberties protections.

Foreign intelligence entities, competitors, criminal actors, and other adversaries may seek nonpublic information from people with authorized access. Their approaches can include unexpected information requests, academic or research inquiries, social-media outreach, conference conversations, or job offers.

Personnel should recognize concerning behaviors such as attempts to obtain information without a work-related need, improper copying or removal of protected information, repeated efforts to bypass security controls, unauthorized use of removable media, or sensitive-data hoarding. When these concerns arise, employees must report the facts through designated channels. They should not investigate independently, confront the individual, search another person's workspace or device, access systems beyond their authorization, or discuss the report with coworkers.

Finally, the course explains the distinction between insider threats and protected whistleblowing. Reporting suspected waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety through authorized channels is protected whistleblowing, not an insider threat.

This program is available with English and French closed captions.

Key Benefits

• Build awareness of OPSEC principles and insider threat risks.
• Understand how seemingly harmless information can be combined to expose sensitive details.
• Recognize potential information-collection methods and suspicious requests.
• Identify observable behaviors that may require reporting.
• Understand appropriate procedures for reporting security concerns.
• Distinguish protected whistleblowing from unauthorized disclosure.
• Support responsible information protection across daily operations.

Course Details

• Course Length: 19 minutes
• Languages: English and French
• Closed Captions: English and French
• Progress Tracking: Included
• Mobile Compatible: Yes
• Participant Resources: Downloadable participant guide
• Course Format: Streaming video, on-demand
• Access: Included with license
• LMS Compatibility: Compatible with your LMS or accessible through a hosted LMS platform
• Year Produced: 2026
• SKU: AT318

Frequently Asked Questions

How is licensing calculated?
Licensing is based on the total number of learners who will access the course during the license period.

Can I train more than 100 employees?
Yes. We offer enterprise licensing options for larger organizations and multi-location businesses.

Can we use our own LMS?
Yes. Courses are available in SCORM-compatible formats and can be deployed through most learning management systems.

Do you offer multi-course discounts?
Yes. Organizations licensing multiple courses may qualify for discounted workforce training packages.

Do you offer custom pricing?
Yes. We can create customized pricing solutions for enterprise organizations, multi-course licensing programs, annual training initiatives, and large workforce deployments. Contact us for custom pricing tailored to your organization.