A Perspective on the Intersection of Information Security Policies and IA Awareness, Factoring in End-User Behavior

In 2017 Executive Order 13800 was enacted for all federal entities to use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to report on FISMA compliance. According to GAO-19-545 report sixteen agencies were identified as failing to successfully implement FISMA regulations rooted in information security policies (ISPs). This paper will introduce the link between information assurance awareness with the prescribed actions and its direct influence on information security policies. While organizations are conscious of the federal rules and regulations, most continue to fail to successfully implement and comply with the guidelines due to a sincere lack of information assurance and awareness, which ties directly into human behavior. A discussion on the intersection of information security awareness and behavior will be presented. The UTAUT theory measures and informs the researcher on factors that influence the end-user. Conclusively, recommendations will be offered on why organizations need to invest in a mechanism that measures these factors, which increases information awareness to change behavior, thus achieving better compliance with their organizational ISPs.