What is Phishing Simulation and its Benefits?
Explore the Fundamentals of Phishing Simulation and its Advantages.
In 2023, there is a significant rise in phishing scams including imitation emails and fake phone calls. Moreover, cybersecurity platforms are getting more sophisticated day by day. Now, to bypass these barriers, cybercriminals target the organization’s staff and seek for human error to accomplish their goals.
As per the report from Verizon in 2023, human errors are the prominent factor for most breaches across various industries such as healthcare, education, and utilities. Besides this, the “human element” is present in 74% of the successful breaches. Especially in cases ranging from privilege misuse to real mistakes. For the same purpose, it is evident that personal training is important for cybersecurity readiness including every team member irrespective of their IT negotiations.
Phishing attacks, particularly spear phishing are constantly evolving day by day. Hence, to keep your organization safe and secure must be up to date to keep up with these threats. In addition, the major objective is to make the organization more informed, aware, and ultimately secure.
What is Phishing?
Phishing and spear phishing are common types of cybersecurity attacks. It is a process in which an attacker messages targeted victims by disguising someone. The medium of phishing scams is email, text, call, and social media messages. Based on social engineering, phishing largely depends on the human element. Here are some of the popular phishing attacks that include false invoices, requests to reset online accounts, fraudulent emails promising money, and many more.
- Nigerian Prince scams offering money or inheritance for financial help.
- Impersonation of company figures like the CEO or supervisor in deceptive messages.
- False invoices and money requests mimicking vendors or other businesses.
- Deceptive notifications about the need to reset or change online accounts.
- Phone-based phishing (“vishing”) attempts to coerce victims into sending money or divulging information.
- Spoofed emails from addresses similar to those in your contacts.
- Pharming: Redirects to malicious or fraudulent websites.
- Social media messages promise profile promotion as a form of phishing.
- Extortion via email, using blackmail or threats to obtain money.
- Fake alerts of unusual activity or security breaches.
Phishing scams can have multiple purposes for attacking, but they are typically for financial gain. According to Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), 76% of data breaching is done through phishing attacks that involve 28% internal data, and 26% personal data.
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Difference Between Phishing and Pretexting
Below is the table for a comprehensive overview of phishing and pretexting:
| Feature | Phishing | Pretexting |
| Definition | Fraudulent attempt via electronic means to obtain sensitive info by posing as a trustworthy entity. | Deceptive practice involving a false scenario to trick individuals into disclosing confidential information. |
| Method | Uses emails, messages, or websites to appear legitimate and trick users into revealing sensitive data. | Involves creating a false situation, often through phone calls or in person, to manipulate individuals into divulging information. |
| Communication Medium | Electronic channels like emails, messages, or fake websites. | Primarily through voice communication (phone calls) but can also occur in person. |
| Impersonation | Impersonates reputable organizations, using logos and branding for legitimacy. | Involves creating a false identity or scenario to gain the trust of the target. |
| Goal | Obtain sensitive information for financial gain or unauthorized access. | Obtain confidential information, often for financial gain or social engineering purposes. |
| Awareness | Targets a wide audience, requires awareness campaigns and education. | More targeted, necessitates employee training and awareness. |
| Examples | Email phishing, website phishing, spear phishing. | Impersonating a co-worker, posing as a service provider, creating a fake emergency. |
Benefits of Availing Phishing Simulation Service
Phishing simulation training and services can enhance the organization’s cybersecurity by employing the human protection layer. When the workers are trained and aware of the cybersecurity threats, they can quickly spot them and are less likely to fall for phishing and pretexting scams.
Apart from individual training, phishing simulations turned out to be a great instrument to measure your organization’s cyber resiliency. Further, you can figure out the most potentially risky data, learn where overall training needs improvement, and prepare your organization for the most advanced attacks.
Identify and bridge the gaps in your security
There are 3 major pillars to cybersecurity i.e. process, technology, and people. Security gaps generally arise because staff are unfamiliar or uncertain about the current policies and practices.
The primary goal is to help you in identifying the vulnerabilities in your organization. Also, it is much harder to train and educate employees than to set up a new piece of machine on the system.
Risk Mitigation
Running these simulations can identify vulnerabilities in their cybersecurity defenses. Mainly, by understanding how the employees will respond to phishing attacks, companies can work on their security systems to reduce the risk of falling victim to actual phishing threats.
Using the Best Phishing Simulation Services
Most often cybersecurity training videos and lectures don’t cover the required thing in today’s ever-evolving cyber landscape. Besides this, practical phishing simulation software and targeted training offer an in-depth understanding to the organization’s employees, making them more trustworthy to produce tangible results. By taking these services, you and your staff can now easily tackle important scams.
