Cyber security quiz for employees: the 14 best options

Getting your employees onboard with learning about cyber security can be difficult. Even if they understand the importance of security, participation and engagement in training programs often leave much to be required.

But there’s a way to make learning about cyber security more entertaining, engaging, and effective.

With a security awareness quiz for employees, you can get your organization to learn about cyber threats in a playful manner.

There are a lot of different options available on the market. From free one-time quizzes to long-term training solutions that drive real behavior change.

Final verdict: the 14 best security awareness quizzes for employees

In this article, we listed the best cyber security quizzes for employees that we came across.

• Guardey
• The weakest link
• Cyber Circus
• Football Fever
• Counterintelligence Trivia Twirl
• Deepspace Danger
• Cyber Awareness Challenge 2024
• Hoxhunt
• KnowBe4
• NINJIO
• Phished
• Arctic Wolf
• Usecure
• Awaretrain

1. Guardey

Guardey is a cyber security quiz that takes users on a journey. In weekly quizzes, users get to grow their fictional company by getting as many questions as possible right. If they get too many questions wrong, their fictional company loses money and sees its reputation decline.

Each question is followed up with precise feedback so that employees learn from the mistakes they’ve made.

By doing a 3-minute quiz about cyber security every week, employees build up knowledge slowly over time. This is a much more effective learning method than yearly training where participants are stuffed with information they can’t retain for longer than a week or two.

The Guardey quiz covers a wide array of topics, including:

• Remote work
• Phishing
• AI risks
• CEO fraud
• Malware
• Software updates

And the list goes on.

Admins can add their own quizzes in Guardey’s learning management system (LMS). This is especially helpful when your employees need to take security precautions that are specific to your organization or industry.

Pros

• Weekly quizzes for long-term usage
• Added gamification elements with a storyline and leaderboard
• Wide range of topics put together by ethical hackers and educationalists

Cons

• It’s not free, but is affordable and offers a 14-day trial

2. The Weakest Link

Another cyber security quiz was developed by IS Decisions. It covers a wide array of topics and it will take you about an hour to get through all the questions.

What I like best about this quiz is the direct feedback you get after every question, which is something that is lacking in a lot of cyber security quizzes. It is elaborate and on-point, giving the user more in-depth information after answering a question.

Because it’s relatively short — unless you’re looking for a quiz for a one-time event — it’s not a great option for long-term cyber security education.

Pros

• It’s free
• High-quality feedback
• Great for one-time usage

Cons

• Limited gamification elements
• Not a long-term option

3. Cyber Circus

This cyber security quiz was put together by the Texas A&M University, based on a circus theme. The quiz aims to get university students to learn about cyber security playfully. The circus theme makes for an entertaining quiz, but doesn’t relate to the real-life repercussions of a cyber attack.

Even though the quiz was created for students, it still has some valuable content for employees too.

Aside from quizzes, the cyber circus also comes with some games such as the Hoop Shoot. Every time you answer a quiz question right, you get to throw a basketball, which is a nice touch.

Pros

• It’s free
• Comes with additional games
• Instant feedback

Cons

• The circus theme isn’t relevant for most employees
• Only a solution for short-term usage

4. Football Fever

The Texas A&M University developed another quiz called Football Fever, which is — you guessed it — based on an American football theme.

During the quiz, you get cyber security questions but packaged in an American football theme. It’s clever and fun, but a bit distracting from the real-life consequences that cyber attacks can have.

If you fail to answer a question correctly (”Interception!”), you are given feedback instantly.

Again, this cyber security quiz is a fun way to freshen up your team’s cyber security knowledge during a one-time event, but not a long-term training solution.

Pros

• It’s free
• You receive instant feedback
• The American football storyline is entertaining

Cons

• Not a long-term training solution
• A bit childish

5. Counterintelligence Trivia Twirl

Who doesn’t like to spin the wheel? It’s a nice touch to this security awareness quiz called Counterintelligence Trivia Twirl. After spinning the wheel, you get assigned a quiz with questions about a specific category. It’s a fun one-off exercise that you can do with colleagues, but since it can be completed in about 20 minutes, it’s not a solution for long-term training purposes.

Pros

• It’s free
• Spinning the wheel is a nice touch of gamification

Cons

• Not a long-term solution for training
• Not all relevant cyber threats are covered

6. Deepspace Danger

Another security awareness quiz for employees with a creative theme is called Deepspace Danger. The quiz is part of a game that is situated in outer space. You get to see a lot of long animated videos that tell the story. In short: you have to answer questions about cyber security right to make it back to earth safely.

Since there is only one question after every video, it takes a while to complete.

Pros

• Made for long-term training
• Very creative animations

Cons

• The theme is not related to business
• The videos take up a lot of time
• The pricing for this solution is not stated on the website

7. Cyber Awareness Challenge 2024

The US Department of Defense created its own cyber security quiz too. For obvious reasons, cyber security awareness is essential for its employees. The quiz is part of a game that looks somewhat outdated and uses animated videos. The quiz covers a wide array of topics, including USB sticks, social engineering, phishing, and more.

The videos are somewhat outdated, which makes it time-consuming for your employees to complete. However, the quality of the questions is good.

Pros

• It’s free
• The storyline is based on a true business

Cons

• The videos are time-consuming
• The animations are outdated

8. Hoxhunt

Hoxhunt offers a comprehensive security training program for employees. The program is one of the most widely used of its kind, with thousands of clients. Hoxhunt uses a combination of ongoing training, backed up by tests and quizzes to gauge each employee’s security knowledge. Each information security quiz for employees is designed to test the individual’s understanding of Hoxhunt’s training materials, allowing their future training sessions to be tailored to that employee’s level.

Hoxhunt also uses simulated attacks and other challenges to create a more holistic picture of an employee’s security behavior. For most employees, the trainings will be highly relevant and useful. Those with a strong existing set of cyber security skills might find the level rather basic, however.

Pros

• Gamification through quiz scores and a shared leaderboard encourages users to engage with the material.
• Ongoing training ensures that users continue to improve and retain knowledge.

Cons

• Not the cheapest option, although customers feel that it’s worth the additional cost.
• The low training ceiling might make the material less relevant for skilled users.

9. KnowBe4

KnowBe4’s employee training program is positively regarded for its specificity and the modular framework of its materials. Clients can tailor training programs to each department or even to individual employees. KnowBe4 is popular with customers who need to ensure compliance with standards and regulations as well as internal security policies. KnowBe4 serves employees with regular training sessions, accompanied by tests and quizzes.

After completing a module, there’s an information security quiz for employees to take which deals specifically with the module’s contents. This ensures that learners are absorbing the material and have understood how to translate their knowledge into practice.

Pros

• Highly customizable
• Provides training on regulations and standards such as HIPAA compliance

Cons

• Can be labor-intensive, requiring a lot of time and input to run

10. NINJIO

Ninjio Security Awareness’ principal claim to fame is its top-quality training videos, which deliver information in an engaging and memorable way. After each video, there’s a security awareness quiz for employees with a set of true or false questions for the learner to answer.

Participants are scored on the accuracy of their responses — three points for getting all the questions right on the first try, two points for getting the questions right on the second try, and one point for succeeding on the third try. If a participant needs more than three attempts, they don’t get any points but still need to get all the questions correct before the quiz can be marked as completed. It should be possible for any user to complete a module based on the information in the training video.

Pros

• Polished and entertaining training videos
• Thorough testing with gamification to reward attentive learners
• Automation makes this product less time-consuming to operate

Cons

• Once a learner has completed a module and passed the quiz, it’s hard to go back and watch the training videos again

11. Phished

Phished is an automated training platform that aims to drive behavior change through training, simulations, tests, and quizzes. While Phished focuses strongly on malicious emails, it does cover a range of other threat vectors in its training and alerts. Phished uses machine learning to identify the training materials that will be most valuable for a particular learner and ensures that they have understood the content.

Phished’s customers are generally very happy with the product, citing the customizability of the training, the extensive library of videos and other material and its overall effectiveness in creating a security-aware employee base. Regular quizzes check that learners are progressing, using true/false and multiple choice questions.

Pros

• Large, varied training library
• Engaging quizzes and tests
• Convincing phishing email simulations helps keep employees on their toes

Cons

• A lack of user-friendliness. While the end-user interface is fairly intuitive, some clients struggle with the control dashboard
• Setup can be complicated and time-consuming

12. Arctic Wolf

A major player in the cyber security space, Arctic Wolf offers a range of valuable products and services as an integrated platform. These include its Managed Security Awareness solution, which delivers training as a concierge service. Using training materials, simulations, and engaging tests and quizzes, this service aims to create cultural and behavioral change among employees to make the organization more resilient against cyber threats.

By completing true/false and multiple choice quizzes, learners can score points and work their way up a leaderboard. This encourages learner engagement and provides admins with valuable insights into their progress. Arctic Wolf also provides reporting tools that help admins assess employees’ progress.

Pros

• Microlearning content keeps users engaged without taking up too much time or attention
• Gamification improves participation
• Concierge-style services make implementation much easier, taking the strain off admins

Cons

• Arctic Wolf’s concierge model is expensive, although customers regard it as worth the additional cost

13. Usecure

Compared with similar products, Usecure is touted as one of the easiest to implement. It is more basic than some of its competitors but provides thorough and comprehensive security training. Using story-based videos and regular quizzes, Usecure provides demonstrable improvements in users’ security awareness. The videos are basic in style, using simple cartoon animations and presentations to deliver information.

There are also interactive lessons to improve engagement. Following each training module, users receive a brief quiz to check their understanding. Usecure provides baselining, to get a general picture of employees’ cyber security knowledge and a measure of how much progress they’re making. Usecure also has a number of other features that some customers may value, such as dark web monitoring to get ahead of any possible security breaches.

Pros

• Interactive learning and quizzes make the training more engaging for end users
• Very extensive library of materials
• Dark web monitoring

Cons

• Training materials are less polished than some competitors’ and the cartoons can feel dated
• Customer service isn’t always available

14. Awaretrain

Awaretrain is a smaller player on the security training scene but they’re well-established, with ten years of training provision. They provide a library of 60 training modules that can be assembled into customized training programs. Awaretrain updates its library of content regularly, ensuring that it remains relevant and includes current security threats.

Six new modules are added each year. The content itself is fairly polished, engaging and designed to hold learners’ attention. There is a combination of passive video lessons and more interactive material, such as games and quizzes. In-depth lessons take around 15 minutes to complete, while three-minute “snacks” help keep knowledge fresh and introduce important security points in a quick and effective way.

Overall, the training is well-designed and easy for clients to customize into suitable training programs. Each module includes at least one security awareness quiz for employees. The visuals are up-to-date and memorable, and certificates of completion can be given to employees as a morale boost. On the downside, those 15-minute videos can feel like a lecture to some.

Pros

• Varied and engaging content
• Plenty of challenging games, tests and quizzes
• Extensive gamification makes learning enjoyable and encourages engagement
• Customizable training programs

Cons

• The longer training videos can make learning something of a passive experience. Some reviewers would have preferred more interactive content

Are cyber security quizzes worth your time?

Security awareness should be a key element of any cyber security strategy. No matter how hard you have worked on setting up the best firewall and other means of protection, there is always a cyber criminal that knows how to slip through the cracks. And at that moment, you want your team to know how to act in the face of a cyber threat.

A cyber security quiz is a fun way to train the awareness of your employees, while the more traditional methods may put your employees to sleep. However, you should look for a solution that offers regular quizzes. A one-time quiz is helpful, but only with regular training does the knowledge truly stick with your team members.

Conclusion

There is a wide array of cyber security quizzes for employees that you can choose from. Whether you need a quick free solution to use during a one-time event or a long-term solution to train for lasting behavior change.

Guardey offers weekly quizzes that take up to 3 minutes to complete. It’s a playful way to learn about cyber security while covering all the most important topics that you need to turn employees into a human firewall.

Start a 14-day free trial at Guardey