One of the most common causes of information security incidents are social engineering attacks, where a malicious actor directly targets the human element of cyber security. These attacks can result in ransomware or other malware being deployed, business email compromise, all the way through to data breaches.
Simulated phishing services complement internally or externally held cyber security awareness trainings by providing real-world practical scenarios to cement learning and foster a security-first culture. Phishing as a service provides clients with up-to-date techniques utilised by real attackers, as well as visibility into performance and result metrics.
Staff are a key first line of defence against social engineering attacks such as phishing; the ability to spot a phishing attempt and take appropriate action to report the email is critical to preventing business email compromise or to reduce the impact of ransomware or other malware.
As attackers continue to improve their delivery methods and the complexity of attacks, phishing attempts can become difficult to spot, which is why having an information security specialist conduct the simulations with the latest up-to-date techniques can be necessary.
At Phoenix Quality Management Inc., we keep a close eye on advancing phishing methods, topics (such as subject lines and message content), and masqueraded organisations to consistently build up-to-date simulated phishing campaigns. By delivering these simulated emails in a safe environment to your staff, we can help build the skills needed to safely spot and action phishing attempts, without fear of putting the business at risk. Staff can then re-enforce their practical skills with security awareness training to ensure that not only can they identify a phishing attempt, but that the organisational impact and risk is well understood as to why phishing attempts should be prevented.
A recent study conducted by academics from several German universities tested the effectiveness of phishing training over time. The researchers determined that employees lost their ability to detect phishing emails six months after their initial training.
Given the ongoing remote working due to the pandemic, combined with the ever-changing types of phishing and scam emails, regularly re-training staff on security policies around email and how to detect phishing can help organisations to fend off attacks.
The importance of security awareness training cannot be understated. We all learn best when utilising a multi-modal approach; through simulated phishing campaigns, staff build practical and physical skills to identify and report phishing attempts in a safe environment, while online or face-face security awareness training provides the theoretical ‘why’.
While organisations understand the importance of security awareness training, taking staff away from their main job for a course can be challenging. Phoenix offers online security awareness training that covers all core aspects of information security delivered as a series of learning modules, each approximately 2 minutes in length. This gives organisations the option to have staff complete the course at their own pace, or in their own time as appropriate.
Phoenix also offer longer-form face-to-face training, providing opportunities for a high level of interaction where students can ask questions or seek additional information about the topics covered. Phoenix provides a set of course notes, ensuring that students can focus on the material and gain the greatest and longest-lasting benefit from the course.
We know cyber security can be confusing, but it doesn't have to be. If you've got questions about your cloud security needs, from basic to advanced, our team of business and technical experts are happy to help.