Training Resource

Phishing Simulation Implementation Guide

Test and improve your team's phishing awareness with controlled simulations. This guide helps you implement an effective phishing simulation program that educates rather than punishes.

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91%

of attacks start with phishing

32%

average click rate untrained

5%

click rate after training

$4.2M

average BEC loss

Common Phishing Attack Types to Simulate

Credential Harvesting

45% of attacks

Fake login pages to steal passwords

Example:

""Your account will be suspended - click here to verify""

Red Flags to Teach:

  • Urgent language
  • Generic greeting
  • Mismatched URLs
  • Poor grammar

Malware Distribution

25% of attacks

Attachments or links that install malicious software

Example:

""Invoice attached - please review immediately""

Red Flags to Teach:

  • Unexpected attachments
  • .zip or .exe files
  • Macro-enabled documents
  • Shortened URLs

Business Email Compromise

20% of attacks

Impersonating executives or vendors

Example:

""I need you to process this wire transfer urgently""

Red Flags to Teach:

  • Spoofed sender
  • Unusual requests
  • Pressure tactics
  • Different reply-to address

Spear Phishing

10% of attacks

Targeted attacks using personal information

Example:

""Hi [Name], saw your LinkedIn post about [topic]...""

Red Flags to Teach:

  • Personal details
  • Company-specific info
  • Familiar context
  • Trust exploitation

5-Week Implementation Timeline

1

Planning

Week 1
  • Define objectives and success metrics
  • Get leadership approval
  • Select simulation platform or tools
  • Create communication plan
  • Establish baseline metrics
2

Preparation

Week 2
  • Design phishing templates
  • Segment employee groups
  • Prepare training materials
  • Set up reporting dashboard
  • Create incident response process
3

Execution

Weeks 3-4
  • Send initial simulation emails
  • Monitor click rates in real-time
  • Document user responses
  • Provide immediate training for clickers
  • Adjust difficulty progressively
4

Analysis

Week 5
  • Compile results and metrics
  • Identify vulnerable departments
  • Analyze failure patterns
  • Create improvement recommendations
  • Plan follow-up training

Simulation Email Templates

Beginner Level - IT Support

Easy to Spot

Subject: Urgent: Password Expiration Notice

Dear User,

Your password will expire in 24 hours. Click here to reset:

http://company-it-support.fake-domain.com/reset

IT Support Team

Teaching Points:

  • • Generic greeting (not personalized)
  • • Suspicious domain name
  • • Urgency pressure tactic

Intermediate - Package Delivery

Moderate Difficulty

Subject: FedEx Delivery Attempted - Action Required

Hello [Employee Name],

We attempted to deliver your package but were unable to complete delivery.

Track your package: [Tracking Button]

Reference: FX2024-8374923

Teaching Points:

  • • Uses real company branding
  • • Personalized with employee name
  • • No package was expected

Advanced - CEO Fraud

Difficult to Detect

Subject: Re: Quick favor

Hi [Employee],

Are you available? I'm in meetings all day but need you to handle something urgently.

Can you process a wire transfer for a new vendor? I'll send details shortly.

Thanks,
[CEO Name]
Sent from my iPhone

Teaching Points:

  • • Spoofed executive email
  • • Creates sense of urgency
  • • Unusual request pattern
  • • Check actual sender address

Key Metrics to Track

Click Rate

Percentage of employees who clicked phishing links

Excellent < 5%
Good 5-10%
Needs Work > 10%

Report Rate

Employees who reported the phishing attempt

Excellent > 70%
Good 40-70%
Needs Work < 40%

Repeat Offenders

Employees who fail multiple simulations

Low Risk < 5%
Medium Risk 5-15%
High Risk > 15%

Best Practices for Ethical Simulations

DO:

  • ✓ Get executive approval before starting
  • ✓ Focus on education, not punishment
  • ✓ Provide immediate training for those who click
  • ✓ Start with easy simulations and increase difficulty
  • ✓ Celebrate improvements and successes
  • ✓ Customize templates to your industry

DON'T:

  • ✗ Publicly shame employees who fail
  • ✗ Use simulations during high-stress periods
  • ✗ Create fear-based culture
  • ✗ Make simulations too realistic (illegal/unethical)
  • ✗ Ignore cultural sensitivities
  • ✗ Run simulations without follow-up training

Recommended Simulation Platforms

Free/Low-Cost Options
  • • GoPhish (open source)
  • • LUCY Free Edition
  • • Simple Phishing Toolkit
  • • King Phisher
Mid-Range Solutions
  • • KnowBe4
  • • Proofpoint
  • • Mimecast
  • • Cofense
Enterprise Platforms
  • • Microsoft Defender
  • • CrowdStrike
  • • Trend Micro
  • • Sophos Phish Threat

Ready to Strengthen Your Human Firewall?

Download our complete phishing simulation toolkit including email templates, training materials, and reporting dashboards to get started today.

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