What you'll learn in this article
- Phishing simulation lets organizations measure employee readiness by exposing users to realistic phishing emails without introducing real harm.
- A typical phishing simulation program includes planning, drafting, sending, monitoring, and analyzing so teams can evaluate both user behavior and training effectiveness.
- The most effective programs use varied scenarios, realistic content, thoughtful timing, and educational follow-up to improve awareness over time.
- Strong phishing simulation software should be realistic, easy to manage, connected to broader training efforts, and able to provide measurable results.
- Mimecast helps simplify phishing simulations by combining testing, training context, customization, and reporting in one connected awareness platform.
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.
