An executive briefing should take 30 minutes and cover three things: how attackers target leaders, what decisions leaders own in an incident, and what behavior they should model. End with a short discussion exercise instead of slides. Leaders who skip training undercut everyone else's.
Why executives need their own session
Leaders have broad access, approve payments, and are well known in public. Attackers know this. Messages that appear to come from a senior person are among the signs of phishing that CISA lists, including messages from a known contact whose account was compromised. HIPAA's text is explicit that training covers all members of the workforce, including management.
Minutes 0 to 10: how leaders are targeted
- Impersonation by email, chat and phone asking for urgent payments or gift cards.
- Fake vendor bank detail changes.
- Voice or video that seems familiar. Teach the habit of verifying through a known contact method, not a number in the message.
- Targeting of assistants and family members.
Give two or three anonymized examples relevant to your industry. Do not invent statistics.
Minutes 10 to 20: decisions leaders own
In a real incident, executives usually decide on:
- Taking systems offline, and accepting the business cost.
- Notifying customers, regulators and insurers, with legal input.
- Paying or not paying in extortion cases.
- Public communication.
Show the incident roles on one page and who they call. Have leaders confirm they know the after hours path.
Minutes 20 to 30: a short scenario
Use a scenario from CISA's tabletop packages, such as ransomware or a phishing led takeover, and ask three questions: Who decides? Who do we tell first? What do we need to know within the first hour? CISA's page says its packages include objectives, scenarios and discussion questions that can be customized.
What leaders should model
- Use the same multi factor sign in as everyone else, with no exceptions.
- Report suspicious messages publicly, so others feel safe doing it.
- Fund and attend training.
- Never ask staff to bypass a control to save time.
Follow up
Send a one page summary within a day. Schedule the next session in six months. Ask leaders to name one thing they will change.
Quick check
Should executives get exceptions to security controls?
Generally no. Their accounts are higher value, so controls matter more, not less.
How often should leaders be briefed?
At least yearly, and again after a significant incident or when roles change.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
