Phishing Simulation Tests Fail
Phishing Simulation tests are designed to test employees’ awareness of phishing attacks and their ability to recognize a simulated phishing email. They are a critical part of many organizations’ cybersecurity awareness programs and can help identify users who need additional training to avoid falling for an attack.
Despite their importance, many security professionals are wary of phishing simulation test, saying that the tests don’t do anything to address cyberattacks and are not effective in identifying repeat offenders. Moreover, they are often difficult to implement and hard to monitor, which means that CISOs are often left with no control over these tools.
One of the most important reasons why phishing simulation tests fail is because they fail to deliver what they promise. They can be a great tool for assessing employee awareness of phishing and spear phishing scams, but they can also leave them feeling unengaged and demotivated.
5 Reasons Phishing Simulation Tests Fail
Most phishing simulation vendors do not offer an easy-to-use interface that lets you customize the testing templates to reflect your unique needs. Instead, they have a library of readily-made templates that mimic the latest trends in phishing emails, including fake package trackings, delivery confirmations, promotions and password reset due to unauthorized login attempts.
Another factor that can lead to failed phishing simulations is that the test email template is not appropriate for the type of user in your organization. For example, an account payable department might be more likely to fall for a phishing attack that mimics invoicing fraud, while a human resources department might be easier to spoof with a simulated fraudulent payroll redirect.
This is why it is important to choose a phishing simulator provider that offers an easy-to-use phishing test platform. The software should allow you to set up a campaign, specify which users will be tested and schedule the timing of each test. It should also provide reports on email open rates, attachment downloads, information disclosure and clickthrough rates.
The right phishing simulator should also be fully integrated into your IT security awareness program and other Mimecast solutions. This will give you a complete picture of your risk level and enable you to make data-driven decisions about the next steps in your behavior change initiative.
Some phishing simulation providers have a variety of reporting options, such as a dashboard that provides a comprehensive overview of each test campaign. This helps you better understand the success of your phishing training initiatives and can inform decision-making at leadership levels.
It’s also important to track and report on the number of users who report phishing incidents. This can give you a sense of how well your phishing simulations are actually changing employee behavior, and it will help you prioritize the most vulnerable users so that you can focus on their most crucial needs.
In addition, it’s vital to use the phishing simulation data to create a resiliency score that gives your leaders an understanding of the impact of phishing simulations and how to move them forward. This score will help you determine how well your phishing simulations are working and will allow you to make informed decisions about the future of your training programs.