Phishing attacks are proliferating, becoming faster, more personalized, and harder to detect as cybercriminals increasingly leverage AI. AI is predicted to be involved in 17% of cyberattacks by 2027. The 2024 IBM ‘Cost of a Breach’ report estimated $4.88M per phishing breach (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024). As phishing attacks reach new levels, the good news is that it’s possible to reduce the phishing risk measurably with phishing simulation training.
CyberSentriq’s Employee Phishing Training gives employees a safe way to practice spotting and stopping these threats before they turn into real problems. Through realistic, hands-on exercises, your staff builds confidence and knows how to react quickly when something looks suspicious. The payoff? A workforce that’s not just aware of phishing but ready to shut it down before it causes damage.
Phishing emails can have dire consequences for an organization. These malicious emails are used to steal login credentials, initiate malware infection, and carry out Business EmailCompromise (BEC) scams. According to research from Osterman, nearly two-thirds (64%) of businesses anticipate an increase in phishing attacks. One-fifth of companies have lost money due to a BEC scam. AI is ensuring that the volumes and sophistication of phishing are even more challenging to handle. AI automates phishing campaigns. Services like WormGPT and FraudGPT offer Phishing-as-a-Service, enabling anyone intent on committing scams and fraud to access email phishing capabilities. Evasive tactics used by cybercriminals to circumvent email security solutions, such asMicrosoft EOP and Defender, enable malicious phishing emails to enter inboxes, deceive employees, and initiate full-blown cyberattacks. This is where simulated phishing platforms can help to mitigate the impact of phishing.
Simulated phishing is a programmatic method that is used to educate employees on the techniques and tactics used in phishing attacks. AI-powered simulated phishing platforms are used to send simulated phishing emails to staff and other individuals, such as contractors and vendors. These pseudo-phishing emails form the basis of a phishing education program aimed at empowering employees and others with the knowledge to recognize and prevent phishing attacks.
Phishing simulation exercises are used to augment other security measures to prevent email-borne cyberattacks. These measures typically include security awareness training, Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES), and secure backup and restore.Using a layered approach to security is crucial in a climate of sophisticated AI-assisted cyberattacks.
A phishing simulation platform is a cloud-based service that generates and delivers pseudo-phishing emails. The platform typically provides templates that serve as a basis for creating fake phishing emails. The templates must be highly configurable to reflect changes in phishing emails as new tactics emerge in the landscape. For example, a spoof phishing email may incorporate a QR code to reflect the use of these codes in real phishing campaigns.
Simulated phishing platforms must be configurable to reflect cyber threats targeting specific roles and individuals. For example, BEC scams target C-level management and accounts payable staff. In this case, the simulated phishing platform would enable the administrator to create a BEC scam campaign, which would then be sent to individuals in those roles.
Once configured, the simulated phishing platform will be set to automate the delivery of the test emails to all or a subset of the workforce, down to the individual level. When a recipient receives the spoof email, the system will record how that person interacts with the test. The goal is to educate the user and encourage them to submit an incident report. For example, if the recipient clicks on a malicious link, they will receive an immediate, interactive session that explains the “What would happen next scenario…” Over time, this interactive feedback helps build an individual's knowledge base. Having a deep understanding of the techniques and tactics used in human-centered cyberattacks empowers employees to identify and prevent cyberattacks that target them as individuals or the roles they play within an organization.
Employee phishing simulation training doesn’t just test your team; it gives you the data you need to make them stronger. With built-in reporting, administrators can see exactly how each campaign performs and spot employees who might be more vulnerable to phishing attempts. Instead of treating everyone the same, these insights let you tailor future simulations, giving individuals the practice they need to build better habits and sharpen their defenses over time.
Automation of phishing simulation platforms minimizes the administrative overhead required to run campaigns.
Simulated phishing campaigns reflect real-world threats.
Role-based fake phishing campaigns train employees at high risk of threats such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware attacks.
Automation facilitates the regular training of employees.
Provides contextual feedback to employees as part of the training so that they develop a deeper understanding of the impact of phishing.
Generates real-time metrics to allow further tailoring of simulated phishing sessions to improve the effectiveness of the training.
Integrates with other security awareness training so that employees have a comprehensive understanding of how to handle phishing attacks.
Must use a “set-and-forget-it” automation setting to allow an IT department or an MSP to configure the fake phishing campaigns and leave the system to deliver, educate, record, and report. An MSP or organization must be able to rapidly add new customers and users to live campaigns.
Templates should provide the basis for highly customized campaigns. This feature is essential, as cyber threats continually evolve to incorporate sophisticated messaging and employ evasive tactics. Platforms must provide mechanisms for targeting specific roles and individuals in an organization to reflect targeted threat levels.
The platform must be highly configurable to accurately reflect the specific needs of an organization, its sector, and its employees. The platform can benefit from deep integration with existing environments, for example, allowing users to be searched and selected for, based on their M365 job title or their M365 manager.
This optional feature provides randomized lures during a phishing campaign. Lures can be delivered using a stealth mode to maintain an element of surprise, mimicking a realistic phishing campaign.
Interactive and real-time interventions are essential educational tools to ensure that trainees understand what would happen next if the phishing email were real.
Roles and individuals receiving training should be able to click to report an incident as it happens. Fake phishing emails are a valuable way to train users to report incidents quickly, allowing for a fast response to a threat.
At-a-glance dashboards should provide immediate insights into the progress of a fake phishing campaign. An MSP should be able to quickly see which customers are enrolled in phishing campaigns and which are not.
A simulated phishing platform should provide evidence of its success in use. Success rates of 90% or higher reductions in phishing susceptibility are achievable.
A centralized, cloud-based console that lets MSPs manage all customers in one place, reducing administrative overhead.
Fast, automated onboarding to quickly add new accounts without manual complexity.
Seamless bundling with Microsoft 365, Azure Blob, and Entra ID to increase value and margins.
