What is a simulated phishing attack?

A simulated phishing attack involves a harmless simulated phishing email sent to all of your organization’s employees or to specific divisions or individuals.

The simulation tracks who opened the emails and clicked on links within them.

Simulations are crucial elements in training staff on how to prevent and report phishing attacks. As described below, even large companies fall prey to phishing schemes and smaller organizations are often at greater risk.  Among the many benefits of simulations, a well trained staff will:

Reduce the risk of falling prey to phishing scams.

• Facebook and Google were the victims of an extended phishing scam that cost them over $100 million. Scammers sent the tech giants fake invoices that they paid for years. Training your staff on how to spot these types of phishing email is the first step to prevent falling prey to scams.

Reduce the risk of dangerous malware delivery through phishing emails.

• Phishing is an attack vector for ransomware. Phishing emails can contain dangerous links that allow malware to take control of your system and encrypt your data. Hackers then hold your data hostage until a ransom is paid. Maersk, a shipping company responsible for one-fifth of the world’s freight, had to stop operations when they fell victim to the “Not Petya” ransomware attack that cost their company over $200 million. A well-trained staff that can spot phishing attempts will cut off one of the most common channels for ransomware attack.

Assist in complying with cybersecurity legal requirements.

• Equifax settled with the FTC for over $425 million when the company’s cyber-security standards were found insufficient, which led to a data breach. Training your staff on how to prevent and report a phishing attack helps to ensure compliance with adequate cybersecurity standards.