Phishing Simulation
In cybersecurity, a phishing simulation is a security awareness training exercise designed to educate employees and test their ability to recognize and avoid phishing attacks.
Here's a breakdown of the key elements:
Simulated Phishing Attacks: Organizations create and send fake phishing emails or messages to their employees. These simulations mimic real-world phishing tactics but are conducted in a controlled environment.
Realistic Scenarios: Phishing simulations often use realistic scenarios that employees might encounter in their daily work, such as:
Fake emails from IT support requesting password resets.
Phony notifications from HR about policy changes or benefits.
Deceptive messages from delivery companies about package tracking.
Training and Education: Phishing simulations are a form of active training. When employees interact with the simulated phishing email (e.g., click a link, open an attachment), they are redirected to a training page that educates them about:
How to recognize phishing emails
The risks of phishing
What to do if they suspect a phishing attack
Metrics and Reporting: Organizations track the results of phishing simulations to measure their employees' susceptibility to phishing. Metrics might include:
Click-through rates (how many employees clicked on a link)
Credential submission rates (how many employees entered their credentials)
Reporting rates (how many employees reported the phishing email)
Goal: The primary goal of phishing simulations is to improve employees' ability to identify and avoid phishing attacks, reducing the risk of successful phishing incidents that can lead to data breaches, malware infections, and other security problems.
How ThreatNG Enhances Phishing Simulations
ThreatNG provides valuable capabilities that complement and enhance phishing simulation programs:
ThreatNG's external discovery provides valuable context for phishing simulations.
By revealing an organization's external attack surface, including subdomains and potential phishing targets, ThreatNG helps security teams create more realistic and targeted phishing simulations.
For example, discovering similar domains or subdomains can help crafting simulations that mimic real-world phishing attacks using these techniques.
ThreatNG's assessments provide data that can be used to inform and improve phishing simulations:
BEC & Phishing Susceptibility: ThreatNG's assessment of an organization's phishing susceptibility can help security teams identify areas where employees may be more vulnerable. This information can be used to tailor phishing simulations to address specific weaknesses.
Domain Intelligence: ThreatNG's domain intelligence, including email intelligence and domain name permutations, provides valuable information for creating realistic phishing simulations. For instance, email intelligence can help craft simulations that mimic the email formats and sender information that attackers might use.
While ThreatNG's reports focus on external risks, they can complement the reporting from phishing simulation platforms.
ThreatNG's reports can provide context about the external threat landscape, which can be used to enrich the training and awareness information provided to employees after a phishing simulation.
ThreatNG's continuous monitoring helps organizations recognize emerging phishing trends and techniques.
This information can keep phishing simulations up-to-date and relevant, ensuring that employees are trained to recognize the latest threats.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information that can be used to enhance phishing simulations and related training.
For example, Domain Intelligence can provide insights into real-world phishing campaigns and techniques, which can be incorporated into simulation scenarios.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide valuable data that can be used to improve the realism and effectiveness of phishing simulations.
For instance, data on dark web activity and compromised credentials can be used to create simulations that mimic real-world attacks that use this information.
Working with Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG can work with complementary solutions to provide a more comprehensive approach to phishing defense:
Security Awareness Training Platforms: ThreatNG's insights into phishing susceptibility and emerging threats can be used to enhance security awareness training programs, including phishing simulation exercises.
Email Security Solutions: ThreatNG's domain and email intelligence can be integrated with email security solutions to improve the detection and prevention of real-world phishing attacks, complementing the educational aspect of phishing simulations.
