Towards the end of 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning about widespread spear-phishing campaigns targeting organizations in multiple sectors.
But phishing isn’t just becoming more common – it’s also becoming way more convincing and, therefore,dangerous. Armed with artificial intelligence tools, cybercriminals can craft frighteningly realistic phishing emails that closely resemble genuine everyday communication. Gone are the days when typos and awkward phrasing could easily tip off employees.
So what’s the solution? Technical measures like email filters can help, but they are not foolproof. The only certain way to minimize phishing risk is to address the root of the problem: the human factor.
With regular phishing simulation, employees can learn phishing emails and other social engineering tactics, setting your organization up for resilience against one of the most dangerous and common cyber threats.
How Does Phishing Simulation Work?
Phishing simulation is a way for employees to learn how to recognize and respond to relevant phishing threats in a safe way. Employees receive emails that look like they were designed to convince recipients to click on suspicious links, but the emails are actually written and sent by a training engine.
This all happens without employees knowing whether or not the emails are part of a training exercise, making their responses authentic learning opportunities.
After each exercise, employees receive feedback on what they did right, what they did wrong, or signs they may have overlooked. Over time, exposure to this type of training significantly raises the level of security awareness among the workforce.
Phishing simulations can be implemented by an internal security team or by a third party specializing in security awareness training. Due to how affordable and beneficial enterprise-grade phishing simulation training is, even large organizations with robust security teams often prefer to outsource the training to a specialized provider.
Why Phishing Simulation Is Essential in 2025
Security awareness training is far from a novel concept. However, as cybersecurity risks evolve, traditional methods like periodic presentations and e-learning modules are not enough to adequately prepare the workforce for modern threats.
A study by the Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia found that even though 67% of employees of a 400-person public sector organization had attended a security training session, many still failed a subsequent phishing simulation test.
But employees are not necessarily the only ones to blame. Artificial intelligence is a huge advantage for cybercriminals, and it can be very difficult to detect an AI-generated phishing message without consistent, hands-on exposure to realistic tactics and threat scenarios.
Phishing simulations are the only viable solution to bridge this gap. Regular and personalized simulation-based training works on developing real-world skills that are impossible to get in traditional security awareness methods.
Another benefit of phishing simulations, which is also highlighted in the aforementioned study, is the ability to measure risk improvement over time. Organizations can track metrics for individuals and departments, and adjust their training strategies based on real-world performance data.
One more factor to consider, especially now with many emerging security and data privacy regulations, is how phishing simulations help organizations meet their regulatory requirements. Popular frameworks and regulations like GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 place a big emphasis on regular security training to minimize human error.
Key Features of an Effective Phishing Simulation Program
A successful phishing simulation program is more than just sending out “fake” emails. It requires a strategic approach that prioritizes employee education while providing measurable, data-driven progress toward a more resilient cybersecurity culture.
Here are the core ingredients of a highly effective phishing simulation program:
Realistic, Role-based Scenarios
Generic simulations are not enough. To improve, employees should be exposed to threats they could actually face in their day-to-day work. For instance, employees in the finance department are at risk of fake invoice scams, while HR may receive phishing emails disguised as job applications.
Adaptive Learning
Phishing is one of those cyber threats that constantly evolves, especially now with AI. The training must keep in mind these latest trends and tactics to stay effective.
Detailed Reporting
Phishing simulation training is ideal for extracting valuable data about employee awareness, risk levels, and overall security posture. Do not overlook this step, as it is crucial for continually improving the phishing simulations based on real-world performance data.
Integration with Your Broader Cyber Strategy
To extract maximum value from phishing simulation, it’s important to integrate this initiative with your broader cybersecurity program.
For example, you can use data from the training to improve data access policies or integrate phishing simulation with strategic objectives, such as compliance with popular security frameworks.
Stopping AI Phishing with Simulations
In a cybersecurity landscape dominated by AI, phishing simulations are among the most effective ways to boost your cyber resilience.
For the workforce, simulations provide regular exposure to realistic threat scenarios, helping them develop the pattern recognition skills needed to report phishing scams. In the meantime, organizations can track progress over time and adjust the training to maximize return on investment.
Phishing simulation should be prioritized over other forms of awareness training that are proving to be ineffective in measurably improving security behavior.
