← Back to Resources

AI Security Training Template

15 min readTraining templateLast updated: March 2024

Ready-to-Use Training Program for Your Engineering Team

Complete curriculum, slides, exercises, and assessments to train your developers on secure AI coding practices. Used by 100+ companies.

Training Program Overview

Program Details

  • Duration: 2.5 hours (can be split)
  • Format: Interactive workshop
  • Audience: All developers using AI
  • Prerequisites: Basic coding knowledge

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify AI-generated vulnerabilities
  • Implement secure coding practices
  • Configure AI tools securely
  • Review AI code effectively

Success Rate: 94% of developers report improved security awareness after completing this training.

Training Modules

Detailed Training Materials

Module 1: Understanding AI Code Generation Risks

Opening Exercise (10 min)

Show this Copilot-generated code to the class:

async function getUserData(userId) {
  const query = `SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = '${userId}'`;
  const result = await db.query(query);
  console.log(`Retrieved user: ${JSON.stringify(result)}`);
  return result;
}

Ask: "How many security issues can you spot?"

Expected answers: SQL injection, sensitive data logging, no input validation

Key Talking Points

  • The 73% Problem

    "Nearly 3 out of 4 functions generated by AI contain security vulnerabilities. This isn't because AI is bad—it learned from code that often prioritized functionality over security."

  • Training Data Contamination

    "AI learned from Stack Overflow, tutorials, and GitHub. Much of this code was written for learning, not production. It includes outdated patterns and known vulnerabilities."

  • The Cost Multiplier

    "Fixing a vulnerability in development costs $100. In production, it's $10,000. After a breach, it's $1,000,000+."

Interactive Demo

Live Coding Exercise

  1. 1. Open Copilot/Cursor in front of class
  2. 2. Type: "function to authenticate user"
  3. 3. Accept AI suggestion without changes
  4. 4. Run security scanner on generated code
  5. 5. Discuss each vulnerability found

Module 2: Secure AI Development Practices

The Security Checklist

BEFORE accepting any AI suggestion:

□ Does it concatenate user input into queries?

□ Does it log sensitive information?

□ Does it use hardcoded secrets?

□ Does it skip input validation?

□ Does it use outdated crypto (MD5, SHA1)?

□ Does it mix authentication methods?

□ Does it handle errors by exposing details?

□ Does it access files without path validation?

Secure Patterns Reference

❌ Never Accept

// String concatenation
`WHERE id = '${id}'`

// Weak crypto
crypto.createHash('md5')

// Mixed auth
if (token || session)

✓ Always Prefer

// Parameterized queries
'WHERE id = ?', [id]

// Strong crypto
await bcrypt.hash()

// Single auth method
if (await verifyToken())

Tool Configuration Workshop

VS Code Setup

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "github.copilot.enable": {
    "*": true,
    "plaintext": false,
    "env": false,
    "dotenv": false
  },
  "security.workspace.trust.enabled": true
}

Git Hooks

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-commit
if git diff --cached | grep -E "@ai-generated|@copilot"; then
  echo "Running AI security check..."
  npm run security:scan
fi

Module 3: Hands-On Security Workshop

Exercise 1: Spot the Vulnerability

Present these 5 AI-generated functions. Teams have 10 minutes to find all vulnerabilities:

// Function 1: User Authentication
const login = async (email, password) => {
  const user = await db.query(
    `SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '${email}' AND password = '${md5(password)}'`
  );
  if (user) {
    console.log(`User ${email} logged in successfully`);
    return { token: email }; // Simple token
  }
};

// Function 2: File Upload
app.post('/upload/:filename', (req, res) => {
  const path = `./uploads/${req.params.filename}`;
  fs.writeFileSync(path, req.body);
  res.json({ success: true, path });
});

// Function 3: API Endpoint
app.get('/api/data', (req, res) => {
  try {
    const data = getSecretData();
    res.json(data);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: err.stack });
  }
});

Answer key: SQL injection + weak crypto, path traversal, error info leak

Exercise 2: Secure Refactoring

Teams refactor the vulnerable code using secure patterns:

Refactoring Checklist

  • ✓ Replace string concatenation with parameters
  • ✓ Use bcrypt instead of MD5
  • ✓ Implement proper JWT tokens
  • ✓ Validate file paths
  • ✓ Return generic error messages
  • ✓ Add input validation
  • ✓ Implement rate limiting

Exercise 3: AI Pair Programming

Live coding session where participants:

  1. 1. Use Copilot/Cursor to generate a REST API
  2. 2. Review each suggestion before accepting
  3. 3. Modify insecure patterns in real-time
  4. 4. Document why changes were made
  5. 5. Run security tests on final code

Module 4: Team Security Culture

Building Your Security Champions

Champion Responsibilities

  • • First reviewer for AI code
  • • Weekly security updates
  • • Tool configuration
  • • Incident response
  • • Training new team members

Success Metrics

  • • Vulnerabilities caught: >95%
  • • Review time: <30 min
  • • Team adoption: 100%
  • • Security incidents: 0
  • • Developer satisfaction: >4/5

Code Review Template

## AI Code Security Review

**File:** {filename}

**AI Tool:** {tool_name}

**Reviewer:** {reviewer}

### Security Checklist

- [ ] No SQL/NoSQL injection vulnerabilities

- [ ] No hardcoded secrets or credentials

- [ ] Proper input validation

- [ ] Secure authentication/authorization

- [ ] No sensitive data in logs

- [ ] Strong cryptography used

- [ ] Path traversal prevented

- [ ] Rate limiting implemented

### Issues Found

1. ...

### Recommendations

1. ...

Continuous Improvement

Monthly security retrospective agenda:

  • 1.Review AI-generated vulnerabilities caught
  • 2.Analyze any that slipped through
  • 3.Update patterns and training
  • 4.Share learnings across teams
  • 5.Celebrate security wins

Assessment and Certification

Knowledge Assessment

Sample Questions:

  1. 1. What percentage of AI code contains vulnerabilities?

    Answer: 73%

  2. 2. Name three common AI vulnerability patterns.

    Answer: SQL injection, hardcoded secrets, weak crypto

  3. 3. What's the secure alternative to MD5?

    Answer: bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2

Practical Assessment

Final Exercise:

Participants receive an AI-generated codebase with 10 planted vulnerabilities. They have 45 minutes to:

  • • Identify all vulnerabilities
  • • Classify severity (Critical/High/Medium)
  • • Provide secure alternatives
  • • Document their findings

Pass Score: 8/10 vulnerabilities found

Certification: AI Security Practitioner

Valid for 1 year • Includes digital badge

Rolling Out This Training

Pre-Training Preparation

  • 1W

    Before training

    Send pre-reading materials and assessment survey

  • 3D

    Before training

    Ensure all participants have AI tools installed

  • 1D

    Before training

    Test all demos and prepare backup examples

Training Day Checklist

Technical Setup

  • ☐ Projector/screen for demos
  • ☐ WiFi for all participants
  • ☐ AI tools accessible
  • ☐ Security scanning tools
  • ☐ Backup slides ready

Materials

  • ☐ Printed checklists
  • ☐ Exercise handouts
  • ☐ Reference cards
  • ☐ Feedback forms
  • ☐ Certificates

Post-Training Follow-Up

Week 1: Reinforcement

  • • Send summary of key learnings
  • • Share recording (if available)
  • • Assign first security champion tasks
  • • Schedule Q&A session

Month 1: Embedding

  • • Review first AI code submissions
  • • Celebrate security wins
  • • Address challenges
  • • Refine processes

Training Resources

Complete Training Package Includes:

Presentation Materials

  • 📄120 slides (PPTX + Keynote)
  • 🎥Demo videos (10 scenarios)
  • 📝Speaker notes & timing
  • 📊Customizable graphics

Exercise Materials

  • 💻Code samples (50+ examples)
  • 🧑‍💻Hands-on labs (Git repo)
  • 📖Answer keys & rubrics
  • 🏆Certificates template

Implementation Tools

  • 🔧VS Code configurations
  • 🔍Security scanning scripts
  • 📊Git hooks & CI/CD configs
  • 📧Email templates

Ongoing Support

  • 📅Monthly updates
  • 🌐Trainer community access
  • 🚀New vulnerability alerts
  • 🔄Quarterly content refresh

Measuring Training Impact

94%

Report improved security awareness

87%

Catch vulnerabilities before commit

3.2x

Reduction in security incidents

Average ROI: $47 saved for every $1 invested in training

Start Training Your Team Today

Join 100+ companies that have successfully trained their developers on secure AI coding. Get instant access to all training materials and start building your security-first culture.