I’ve been tasked with running our company’s first phishing simulation. I want it to be realistic enough to catch people, but I don’t want to humiliate our staff or lose their trust. What are the best practices for the "Teachable Moment" that happens right after someone clicks a bad link? Should we be using generic templates or something more tailored to our specific industry?
3 answers
Phishing simulations should always be about education, never about "gotcha" moments. Start with easy, generic templates to establish a baseline. When someone clicks, immediately direct them to a 60-second interactive training video rather than a scary "You Failed" screen. This "just-in-time" learning is statistically proven to be the most effective way to change behavior. Also, make sure to reward the people who use your "Report Phish" button. Publicly praising the people who caught the simulation does more for your security culture than punishing the people who fell for it.
Have you considered how you will handle high-risk repeat offenders who fail multiple simulations over a six-month period without showing any improvement in their behavior?
Try "Spear Phishing" simulations for your finance and executive teams. They are the primary targets for real-world attackers and need more sophisticated training scenarios.
Excellent point, Jessica. Tailored scenarios for high-value targets are essential since business email compromise usually starts at the executive level.
Robert, we handled this by moving repeat offenders into a more intensive, hands-on workshop rather than just more automated emails. We found that some people genuinely don't understand the visual cues of a fake URL. By sitting down with them and showing them how to hover over links and check headers, we reduced our "failure rate" from 25% down to 4% in just one year. It's about finding the right learning style for different employees. Patience pays off much better than disciplinary action in the long run.