DeltaNet International has released its Phishing Simulator tool, designed to help organisations strengthen their cybersecurity awareness.

With a significant rise in phishing campaigns over the last year, employees need to be able to recognise an attack and know what to do when they see one.

The global e-learning provider says the simulator enables organisations to assess the effectiveness of their cybersecurity education, diagnosing vulnerabilities and identifying urgent skills gaps through realistic phishing simulations.

The new tool can simply be used to test how susceptible organisations are to falling victim to a phishing attack. But can also be combined with follow-up training.

The simulator allows users to choose from a curated selection of phishing email templates or create new templates for their campaign, and fully customise the software based on their brand and requirements. Users can simulate targeted spear-phishing attacks, such as clicking on malicious URLs requesting personal information and passwords.

The tool is delivered through the cloud-based platform Astute, making it easier for businesses to deploy refresher courses to employees who fail the phishing simulation. 

“Regardless of size, every organisation is under threat of phishing attacks, and with the headlines constantly announcing the latest breach, it's high time cybersecurity awareness training became a priority for all employees,” says DeltaNet International managing director, Darren Hockley.

“All it takes is one click on a malicious link, and it could open your organisation to a cyberattack. By simulating an attack, you can test the employees' resilience within your organisation and then quickly deploy focused training to those employees that need it. This can build organisational resilience to cybersecurity risks and can continually be assessed and measured through multiple campaigns.”

Users of the Phishing Simulator can automatically enrol participants who failed the phishing test onto any courses via Astute or access other company policy documents and e-learning. Business leaders can measure the effectiveness of the testing by tracking in real-time how employees have reacted to the fake phishing email, allowing security, compliance, and HR teams to understand where to provide additional support to mitigate risk and reduce susceptibility to future attacks. 

“With impersonation phishing attacks becoming increasingly common, we will additionally be working closely with our users to create highly personalised templates designed to test the vulnerability of their employees,” says DeltaNet International CTO, Jason Stirland.

“By impersonating considerable levels of familiarity, these emails will test even the most highly aware and vigilant employees, so organisations understand where to prioritise training.”