Phishing Simulations to Educate Employees

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of cyber attack in which malicious people attempt to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive or confidential information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal data. This is typically done by posing as a trustworthy entity and creating a fraudulent or deceptive communication, often through email, but also via other methods such as text messages, phone calls, or fake websites.

The goal of phishing is to trick the recipient into thinking they are interacting with a legitimate source, such as a bank, social media platform, or a well-known company, in order to steal their personal information or install malicious software on their device.

Phishing attacks are a significant cybersecurity threat, and individuals and organizations should take steps to protect themselves against them. Education and cybersecurity awareness are crucial to recognize and avoid falling victim to phishing attacks.

What are Phishing Simulations?

A phishing simulation, also known as a phishing exercise or phishing test, is a controlled and ethical attempt to mimic a phishing attack on an organization’s employees. The primary purpose of a phishing simulation is to assess and improve the cybersecurity awareness and preparedness of employees by testing their ability to recognize and respond to phishing emails.

Phishing simulations should be conducted regularly as part of an ongoing cybersecurity training program to ensure that employees remain vigilant and capable of protecting the organization from phishing threats.

Is Phishing Limited to Email?

While email phishing is one of the most common and well-known forms of phishing, attackers use various methods to deceive employees and organizations. In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion in phishing communications outside of emails, with more advanced threats coming in the form of malicious QR codes and Teams messages. Phishing attacks can occur through multiple communication channels, including:

• Smishing: Phishing attacks can be conducted through SMS or text messages on mobile devices. These messages may contain links or ask for sensitive information.
• Vishing: Phishing over voice calls is known as vishing. Attackers may impersonate legitimate entities and attempt to extract sensitive information over the phone. They often use social engineering tactics to make their calls convincing.
• Phishing Websites: Attackers create fake websites that mimic legitimate ones, aiming to trick users into entering their login credentials, financial information, or other personal data. These fraudulent websites can be spread through email, SMS, or other means.
• Social Media Phishing: Phishing attacks can also occur through social media platforms. Attackers may create fake profiles or send deceptive messages to steal personal information or spread malware.
• Instant Messaging Phishing: Attackers might use instant messaging platforms to send malicious links or trick users into sharing sensitive data.
• Physical Phishing: Although less common, physical phishing involves attackers trying to obtain sensitive information in person, such as through phone calls or visits to an organization’s premises.
• Email Phishing: This is the most common form of phishing, where attackers send fraudulent emails to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links or attachments.

How Can I Protect My Business?

Protecting your employees against phishing is crucial for the security of your organization’s data and technical infastructure. While security practices can be refined and improved upon, such as implementing multi-factor authentication, regular patch management, and email filtering techniques, the constant and most targeted part of the equation is the employee. Scammers are constantly refining their technique, and technology can only adapt so quickly. Educating your employees and learning shortcomings in phishing awareness is one of the best ways to protect your business.

We provide businesses with an enterprise-level platform for conducting security awareness training and phishing simulations. This ensures your employees stay up-to-date on the latest malicious tech trends and how to easily spot them. While working with a university in 2020, we found that over 64% of their employees were susceptible to our phishing attempts in a 1 month period . After 6 months of regular phishing simulation campaigns and educational training, that percentage dropped to 23% of university employees falling victim to a phishing simulation email.

Protect your business by investing in security awareness training and phishing simulation campaigns for employees to stay up to date on IT security threats.