What is Phishing Simulation?

Understanding Phishing Simulation

Phishing Simulation has evolved from simple email tests to sophisticated programs that measure and improve organizational resilience against social engineering attacks. These controlled exercises send realistic but harmless phishing emails to employees, mimicking current attack techniques to identify vulnerability patterns, measure click rates, and train users through teachable moments. Effective programs move beyond simple pass/fail metrics to measure multiple behaviors—Did users click suspicious links? Did they enter credentials? Did they report the suspicious email?—and track improvement over time. Advanced simulations include various attack vectors beyond email, such as voice phishing (vishing), text messages (smishing), or even physical social engineering scenarios. Organizations typically face challenges around simulation realism (making tests realistic enough to be valid without being deceptive), avoiding a blame culture that discourages reporting, and designing appropriate follow-up training for different user behaviors. The most successful programs integrate technical controls with human awareness, using simulation results to improve both user training and detective capabilities rather than focusing exclusively on punishing those who fall for tests.