Phishing Simulation

What is a phishing simulation?

Phishing simulation is a program that organizations can use to send realistic phishing emails to employees in order to gauge their awareness of attacks and what to do with phishing emails when they receive them. Phishing simulation is typically used in coordination with phishing training that educates employees about how these attacks work and how to avoid them.

Why are phishing simulation programs important?

Phishing simulation programs can help protect your organization from phishing attacks that could lead to costly data breaches or ransomware attacks. Phishing simulation programs can help you understand how well-prepared your organization is to handle phishing attack attempts and give your employees tactile experience that will prepare them to respond appropriately to any real-world phishing attacks.

How do phishing simulations work?

During a simulated phishing attack, employees receive an email that closely mimics what they might see in a real phishing attack, but any mistakes or inaction will be inconsequential to your organization—the simulated phishing emails do not contain malware for example.

The process generally involves five key phases:

1. Planning – This phase sets the goals, audience, and scope of the phishing simulation. Security teams decide who will be included, what behaviors they want to test, what type of phishing scenario to use, and how the results will be measured.

2. Drafting – Once the plan is in place, security teams create a realistic mock phishing email that reflects the kinds of messages employees might actually receive. They shape the subject line, sender identity, tone, and call to action carefully so the simulation feels believable without introducing any real malicious content.

3. Sending – After the content is finalized, the simulated phishing email is delivered to the selected users or groups. The campaign is usually sent in a way that mirrors normal business conditions so the results reflect how employees would likely respond to a real phishing attempt during their regular workday.

4. Monitoring – The simulated phishing emails will be able to track and record the actions and responses of your employees, and this will help you gauge how effective the training was and which gap(s) still need to be filled in bolstering your security awareness.

5. Analyzing – After the simulation ends, security teams review the results to identify trends, weak points, and groups that may need additional support. The findings are then used to guide follow-up actions such as targeted coaching, updated training, or future simulations that better address the organization’s specific phishing risks.

How to make phishing simulation easy

Phishing simulation programs help protect your organization by exposing employees to fake phishing emails and seeing how they react. When phish testing is used in conjunction with phishing training , phishing simulation technology can help you get a read on the effectiveness of your IT security awareness efforts.

But as most CISOs will tell you, most phishing simulation applications are cumbersome to use, impossible to customize and hard to integrate with other security awareness training . As a result, phishing simulation and training solutions often create more headaches than they solve.

For an easier phishing simulation solution, consider the following:

• Frequency and variety of testing: Run phishing simulations regularly throughout the year and vary the scenarios so employees are exposed to different types of phishing techniques. This helps reinforce awareness over time and keeps the program aligned with how real phishing threats evolve.
Content and methods: Build simulations that closely resemble realistic phishing attempts employees might actually encounter. The emails should feel believable in their sender, subject line, tone, and call to action, whether the scenario involves credential theft, invoice fraud, or business email compromise .
• Timing: Decide when to run phishing simulations based on what you want to measure. Some organizations test before awareness training to establish a baseline, while others test after training to see whether employees are applying what they learned.
• Educational follow-up: Use phishing simulations as part of a broader awareness program rather than as a stand-alone test. Follow-up guidance and training should help employees understand what they missed, how to recognize similar threats, and how to respond more safely next time.
• Progress and trend tracking: Review the results of each simulation to identify patterns, high-risk groups, and behaviors that need more attention. Tracking results over time also helps security teams adjust future campaigns so they stay relevant to current phishing tactics and organizational risk.

Key features of the best phishing simulation software

The best phishing simulation tools should be practical to manage and realistic enough to test employee behavior meaningfully. These features help organizations run simulations more consistently and get more useful results from them.

Realistic

The simulation should closely reflect the kinds of phishing emails employees might actually receive. Realistic sender details, subject lines, tone, and scenarios make the exercise more useful for measuring true readiness.

Usable and convenient

The platform should be easy to configure, manage, and adapt to different teams or campaigns. If the tool is too rigid or time-consuming to use, it becomes harder to run simulations consistently and at scale.

Complimentary to training program

Phishing simulations should work as part of a broader security awareness effort, not as a stand-alone test. The strongest programs connect simulated attacks to follow-up learning so employees understand what they missed and how to improve.

Data-driven and measurable

The software should provide clear reporting on user actions, campaign results, and behavior trends over time. That data helps teams identify weak points, measure progress, and decide where more training or support is needed.

Mimecast phishing simulation: easy to use and customize

Mimecast's phishing simulation technology can be quickly configured and launched. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up a simulated attack:

• Realistic single-page and multi-page templates let you choose from common phishing email themes, including package tracking, fake promotions and password resets due to unauthorized login attempts.
• Customizable text and landing pages let you tailor your content to match the kind of phishing attacks your employees are likely to receive.
• Easy-to-use controls let you specify which users will receive which tests, set a date for launch, manage sequencing and everything else.

Results from Mimecast phishing simulation are integrated with data from phishing tutorial modules and other testing sources to provide a holistic risk score for every individual, every department and your company as a whole.