Phishing emails are one of the most common and most effective attack methods there are. No firewall reliably prevents an employee from clicking a convincingly forged email. A phishing simulation measures exactly that: how resilient your organisation would actually be in a real incident.
What a phishing simulation is
In a phishing simulation we send phishing emails tailored specifically to your situation to the addresses you provide, usually the employees of your company. The individual scenarios (email content, attachments, link, landing page) are discussed and tested with you in advance, so that the simulation runs realistically and in a controlled way.
How a phishing simulation works
From the email sent, through the behaviour of the employees and the analysis, to the subsequent awareness building, the simulation forms a complete cycle:
What is measured
After the campaign you receive a detailed analysis, including:
- emails opened
- attachments executed
- links clicked
- software downloaded and executed
- form and login data entered
- detected browser and plugins, including a check for vulnerabilities
Anonymised if needed
The campaign can be run anonymised, so that it is not traceable who carried out which action. Depending on legal or organisational requirements, such as employee co-determination, this is sensible or even necessary. The point is never to expose individuals, but to improve the organisation’s level of security.
From test to measurable improvement
The figures collected form the baseline and serve to plan an awareness campaign for your employees. A later, second simulation then shows the improvement. Two to three campaigns with different scenarios are optimal to obtain a meaningful picture. Typical goals of the awareness building are: recognising phishing, pausing before clicking, understanding the consequences for the company, and knowing how the attackers operate and what motivates them.
The phishing simulation provides the factual basis; the actual, lasting change in behaviour is achieved with an accompanying awareness programme. Learn more on our page about employee security awareness.
Why it matters
In most successful attacks, the human is the first point of entry: ransomware, CEO fraud, and data theft almost always begin with an email. A simulation makes this risk measurable instead of merely suspected, and at the same time provides the proof of regular awareness building that customers, insurers, and certifications increasingly require.
What you receive
A written report with detailed statistics for each scenario, including a comparison across several campaigns, so that the development becomes visible.
For questions or a no-obligation offer to run a phishing campaign, please contact us.
Related services: Security Awareness | Social Engineering | Red Team