Prepare Every Employee With Phishing Simulations & Training

Phishing Simulations & Training

Whether you’re a startup or an established company, phishing simulations and training can be an effective way to prepare every employee in your business for email-based social engineering attacks. With the right tools, employees can easily identify phishing emails and report them to you for action.

phishing simulation training is one of the most common cyberattacks that businesses face, and it poses a major risk for both your data and your reputation. These fake email messages may include scams to get access to bank accounts, credit cards or other sensitive information. The best ways to train your employees on phishing are through phishing simulations and gamification. Depending on the software you use, you might send employees suspicious emails or provide them with quizzes to test their knowledge of the dangers of phishing.

With phishing simulations, you can test your employees’ skills by sending them a fake email that tries to trick them into clicking a link or downloading an attachment. They might also be sent a fake phone call from a scammer to lure them into giving personal information.

Prepare Every Employee With Phishing Simulations & Training

You’ll have to plan and execute your phishing simulation campaigns carefully, as a few staff members will be more likely to click on the fake emails than others. However, with the right phishing simulation software and the proper education and a clear message from management, your entire team will be better prepared to recognize and react to these threats.

Make sure your phishing simulations and training are consistent across the organization so everyone is on the same page. This will help avoid a culture of ‘us vs. them’ between departments, and ensure that you’re not stifling your teams’ morale by scaring them.

Generally speaking, you should plan to run a phishing simulation every few months, to keep the training fresh and provide management with feedback on how well your employees are identifying potential threats. You can also set up quarterly reports on phishing tests and training completion results to give you an accurate picture of how your employees are doing in terms of responding to phishing emails.

Many employees fail their first phishing simulations, which is normal. The key is to build muscle memory by continuing these exercises as often as possible. This will prevent staff from becoming “repeat responders.” Recognition can boost employee engagement and performance by 14%, according to Deloitte. By giving your top performing employees a small reward for their effort, you can motivate them to go above and beyond when it comes to spotting phishing attempts.

Don’t punish those who aren’t doing as well, though. This can create a negative perception amongst your team and subsequently affect their participation in phishing simulations in the future. Alternatively, you can provide incentives for those who do well by sending them a reward such as an extra vacation day or bonus. This is a great way to show your employees that you’re not only taking their security seriously but that you care about them as a person too.