📣 Reporting Playbook¶
Most incidents go from small to serious because someone saw something weird and said nothing.
Your job as a leader isn’t to make people perfect — it’s to make reporting normal.
🧭 The purpose¶
- Give people a safe, simple way to speak up
- Respond fast and fairly
- Learn from near-misses without blame
If you do that consistently, you’ll build more trust than any new security tool could.
🧑💻 Make it easy¶
A good reporting system is:
- Obvious – people know where to go
- Quick – two clicks, not two forms
- Safe – no embarrassment or fear of punishment
Options that work:
- A dedicated inbox (e.g. report@yourcompany.com)
- An internal Slack/Teams channel (monitored by security)
- A simple web form
Flagged Tip
If your team can report a phishing email faster than they can make a coffee, you’re doing it right.
🧩 Respond fast, close the loop¶
Acknowledge every report — even if it’s minor.
People stop reporting when it feels like their messages disappear into a void.
“Good catch — we’ve checked it and blocked the sender. Thanks for flagging!”
A 10-second reply keeps them engaged for life.
🔁 Turn reports into stories¶
At the end of each month, share anonymised wins:
- “Finance caught a fake invoice before it hit.”
- “HR spotted a dodgy LinkedIn request.”
- “IT blocked a spoofed domain.”
It reinforces the habit and celebrates the humans, not the hackers.
🚨 When it is serious¶
If something does escalate:
1. Contain (disable accounts, isolate devices)
2. Communicate internally (don’t hide it)
3. Document what happened and what fixed it
4. Update training accordingly
🎥 Watch & Learn¶
(Video: Why early reporting saves businesses.)
Next up: Policy & Behaviours