ELI5: What are Phishing Simulations?
It’s like a fire drill, but for fake emails. The security team sends a pretend trick email to see who clicks on it. If you click, you get a short lesson instead of getting in trouble — the goal is to help everyone learn to spot fakes.
Definition
Phishing simulations are controlled, simulated phishing attacks conducted by the security team (or a third-party vendor) to test employee susceptibility to phishing emails without the risk of a real attack. When an employee clicks a simulated phishing link, they are redirected to a training page rather than an actual malicious site. Results are used to measure awareness levels, identify high-risk individuals or departments, and target additional training where needed.
Key Details
- Simulations should vary in difficulty and technique (spear phishing, pretexting, credential harvesting) to reflect real-world attacks
- Click rates should be tracked over time to measure whether training is reducing susceptibility
- Employees who fall for simulations should receive immediate, teachable-moment training — not punitive consequences
- Simulations should be conducted without prior warning to employees to get an accurate baseline measurement
- Exam tip: phishing simulations measure training effectiveness and are a core component of a security awareness program; the goal is behavior change, not catching employees
Connections
- Parent: security-awareness-training — phishing simulations are the primary technical testing component of awareness programs
- See also: metrics
- See also: gamification