The weakness of the human factor and the need to increase cybersecurity awareness through effective phishing simulation to assess the level of cyber risk in your company has become a necessity for organizations.
To be more precise, the human vector is one of the most used attack avenues by cybercriminals today, with 36% of data breaches motivated by phishing attacks(according to the latest Verizon report).
Reduce the level of human cyber risk with effective phishing simulation
In an increasingly digitized business environment, phishing simulation emerges as an essential tool to strengthen an organization’s cyber defenses.
This practice, which consists of sending test emails that mimic real phishing tactics, is intended to assess and improve employees’ ability to identify and respond to phishing attempts.
Follow these tips to run a good phishing simulation campaign
In sense, by simulating phishing attacks in a controlled manner, companies can uncover vulnerabilities within their workforce, provide targeted training to address these security breaches, and foster a more robust and effective cybersecurity awareness culture, greatly reducing the business costs that a cyberattack can cause.
1. Analyze your initial situation
First, launching a cybersecurity program begins with a detailed review of the organization’s weaknesses, conducting an unannounced initial assessment of the team to obtain a reliable vulnerability diagnosis.
In this regard, it is also advisable to test employees’ cybersecurity knowledge. This will allow us to know the level of each employee and then be able to send phishing campaigns with templates that are easier or more difficult for employees to identify.
In addition, each employee will be trained differently, as each has different cybersecurity skills. Thus, the awareness program will be effective and practical.
Second, this assessment establishes abenchmark for future phishing simulations, allowing companies to evaluate the progress of their security awareness initiatives.
Third and finally, after this initial assessment, it is crucial to inform staff about the objectives and results of phishing simulations, thus promoting the importance of ongoing security education.
2. Send different phishing emails, not a single one for the entire organization.
Simultaneously sending a general phishing simulation to all employees can generate suspicion and alter the results.
A more effective strategy is to distribute different phishing simulations at different times and with different themes (suppliers, customers, banks, etc.), which allows a more accurate assessment of employees’ cybersecurity awareness of different types of phishing attacks.
In addition, this approach facilitates a detailed analysis of the organization’s vulnerability to multiple phishing tactics, seeing which employees fell for the trap and what steps they took in the phishing process.
3. What cannot be measured, cannot be improved.
Likewise, the worrying figure revealed by the CISCO’s 2021 reportreport, where 86% of employees click on phishing links, highlights the importance of taking proactive measures.
It is vital to transform every failure in a phishing simulation into an educational opportunity, by learning right at the moment of the error.
This teaches employees to recognize their failures, understand the risks of phishing and learn through educational resources, turning every incident into an opportunity for growth and continuous improvement.
With the Zepo’s toolZepo, you will be able to train your employees in a fun, interactive and effective way, not only about phishing attacks, but also about the most used cyber-attacks and how to detect them.
4. A single phishing simulation is not enough
Implementing a phishing awareness program requires a sustained effort, not a one-time activity.
Conducting regular phishing simulations is vital to reinforce alertness among employees and raise their awareness of current threats.
In addition, continuous campaigns allow for the detection of new vulnerabilities, thus contributing to improving organizational cybersecurity, so this constant focus on testing fosters the development of a team prepared to counter phishing attacks effectively.
5. Train your employees in a personalized way
Finally, to optimize cybersecurity, companies must adapt training based on each employee’s prior knowledge, identified in an initial assessment.
In fact, incorporating a customized e-learning system into a comprehensive cybersecurity awareness program ensures adequate preparation in the face of emerging digital threats.
Thus, this comprehensive approach promotes a proactive security culture, enhances secure practices and strengthens organizational resilience in the face of dynamic cyber threats.
Conclusion
To successfully execute a phishing simulation campaign, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive strategy.
This includes establishing a baseline, running varied simulations, providing tailored learning opportunities, running campaigns on a regular basis, and framing phishing education within a broader security awareness program.
Ultimately, these steps not only identify weaknesses but also empower employees to proactively strengthen the company’s cybersecurity.
Zepo: the best ally to reduce human cyber-risk in your company
Register your employees.
You can do this manually or through a CSV.
You can create groups of employees based on their level of knowledge and awareness of cyberattacks.
Launch attacks and test your teams.
You will be able to check in real time who falls into the trap.
We create customized templates for your campaigns based on the banks and suppliers you work with. No one will know that it is a simulation.
Train your staff in cyberattack prevention.
Create customized courses on prevention. 3 minutes per month.
No more boring mandatory courses. With Zepo, you will learn and have fun at the same time.
