Step-by-Step Guide to Run a Realistic Phishing Simulation

According to the data, 57% of firms face phishing attempts on a daily or weekly basis. This means that employees are becoming victims of phishing emails, vishing, and smishing, allowing threats to access the company’s sensitive information. 

The research highlighted that workers click on bogus attachments 20% of the time. If the email includes a phony link to a website, around 12% of employees will click on it. Only about 4% of employees will provide information in a phishing effort.  

Source: Nira

Here companies need to practice phishing simulation in their organizations. It will help them strengthen their security and make their employees learn best practices. 

Learn everything about phishing simulation and how to run a realistic phishing simulation.

What is Phishing Simulation, and Why Do Organizations Run it?

In phishing simulation, organizations run fake phishing attacks, leaving the targeted departments to fall into risks generated by the company itself. Common phishing tactics used in simulations include fake emails mimicking trusted entities, deceptive links, or fraudulent login pages. 

But why does the organization run phishing simulations? 

Organizations require phishing simulations for a variety of reasons.

• Awareness and Education: They teach staff how to spot and respond to phishing threats, lowering the likelihood of falling victim to actual attacks 
• Risk Identification: Simulations identify vulnerable employees or departments, allowing for targeted training and policy changes.
• Compliance Requirements: Many compliance regulations, including GDPR and HIPAA, require firms to demonstrate their efforts in cybersecurity awareness training.
• Strengthened Security Posture: Regular simulations lower overall vulnerability to intrusions.
• Cost Avoidance: Phishing attacks can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage. Simulations help to mitigate these hazards.

8 Steps to Run a Realistic Phishing Simulation

Check out the following steps to run the best phishing simulation. 

1. Understand the Purpose of a Phishing Simulation

The goal-oriented approach maintains the decency of the process and helps you gain accurate results. Understand security behaviors and cyberattack awareness among your employees and identify the most vulnerable department. Set your goals accordingly to design an action plan. Never target a huge goal but be specific to get the confined outcome. If your goal is to boost employee awareness of phishing attacks, get precise data on historical reporting rates and target percentages to calculate the results.

2. Choose the Right Phishing Simulation Tool

Choose your reliable phishing simulation software or tool that offers customizable templates, detailed analytics, and integration with your organization’s systems. Go for the tool that enables you to track responses, send automated feedback, and generate actionable reports. 

We have listed the top picks, but explore more and then choose one.

• KnowBe4 provides a variety of phishing templates and real-time reporting.
• Cofense focuses on advanced simulations with integration into threat detection systems.
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 includes built-in phishing simulation features for organizations using Microsoft products.

3. Design Realistic Phishing Scenarios

Make fake phishing attacks that mimic the real world as realistic and applicable as feasible. Spoof well-known domains, create phony attachments and emails, and use login pages to see how watchful and alert your staff are. Examples include:

• Business Email Compromise (BEC): Emails that appear to be from high-level executives demanding urgent action.
• Password Reset Scams: Fake messages and notifications requesting employees to change their passwords.
• Delivery Notifications: Impersonations of services such as FedEx or UPS that encourage users to click links.

Use recognized branding and professional language to make the scenarios more realistic.

Tip: Avoid overly complex scenarios and ensure emails are challenging but not unrealistic.

4. Segment the Target Audience

Segment departments or roles, such as finance and human resources, because they are more vulnerable to phishing and social engineering attacks. This allows for more targeted phishing emails, boosting realism and relevancy. For example, specific simulations can be developed for finance teams, concentrating on scenarios such as invoices or payment requests. In such cases, a fraudulent vendor contacts them and wants an update on their payment details.

5. Launch the Simulation in Phases

Before launching the simulation, notify important stakeholders such as IT, HR, and management. Update the IT policy and remind users that security teams conduct regular phishing simulations. This encourages users to cooperate and enhances participation. It is now time to launch a phishing simulation in phases rather than blasting it out to the entire organization and risking criticism.

• Pilot Test: Run the simulation with a small group initially to discover any potential concerns.
• Full Rollout: Deploy the campaign across departments to ensure that different phishing approaches are tested.

6. Monitor Employee Responses and Analyze Results

Use the simulation platform to collect data on employee behavior. The key metrics include:

• Click-through Rate: Analyze the percentage of employees who clicked on the phishing link.
• Reporting Rate: The number of employees who discovered and reported the email.
• Repeat Offenders: Employees who have failed multiple simulations.

This research helps to identify vulnerabilities and high-risk groups and tailor future training programs.

7. Provide Feedback and Conduct Training Sessions

Now that you can see the metrics and analytics, focus on the employees who missed the red flags and discuss details to prevent future mistakes. Organize training sessions focusing on detecting phishing attempts. Use the best procedures, such as 

• Verifying email senders.
• Avoid clicking on any dubious links.
• Promptly reporting suspicious emails.

Tip: Use simulations as learning opportunities, not to shame employees, as a punishing environment can cause serious issues.

8. Ready for the Next Phishing Simulation

Phishing simulations require repetition to continuously improve responses. This also enables firms to maintain high levels of awareness and tailor training to emerging phishing strategies. Phishing strategies must be refined to reflect emerging risks like clone phishing, vishing, domain spoofing, and QR code fraud.

Tip: A single simulation effort won’t suffice; phishing simulation is an ongoing process.

Conclusion

The procedure of phishing simulations is consistent with the overall cybersecurity strategy. It ensures that human error is tackled along with technology defense. Conduct phishing simulations regularly to ensure your organization remains resilient to evolving phishing strategies.

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