One of the best defenses against phishing attacks is training. By teaching your employees how to recognize and report phishing attempts, you can help keep your company safe from hackers. But with so many training options available, how do you choose the right one for your business? We’ve compiled a list of the best phishing training options to help you decide.
What Is Phishing Awareness Training?
Phishing awareness training is a program that helps employees learn how to identify and avoid phishing emails. These emails are designed to lure employees into clicking on a phishing link or opening an infected file.
Phishing awareness training can help employees stay safe online by teaching them how to:
- Recognize fake emails
- Protect their passwords
- Identify social engineering attacks
- Spot fraudulent websites
Phishing training for employees can also help them understand the risks of sharing personal information online.
Why You Should Offer Phishing Training for Employees
People are often the weakest link in an organization’s cybersecurity posture. Phishing attacks involve tricking employees into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links, which is a common way for cybercriminals to gain access to company networks.
That’s why organizations need to offer phishing training for employees. Training can help employees learn how to identify phishing emails and protect themselves from becoming victims of these attacks.
In addition to training, there are other things that organizations can do to protect their networks from phishing attacks, such as implementing a strong cybersecurity policy and using anti-phishing tools.
But education is key, and companies must train their employees to avoid cyber risk and stay safe online.
Selecting the Best Phishing Training Solutions: Unmasking Excellence
When we at Small Business Trends set out to compile our list of the top phishing training programs, we used a meticulous evaluation process. Our scale, ranging from 1 to 10, helped us assess each criterion’s importance, with 10 being the most crucial and 1 the least.
- Comprehensiveness of Training Content (Importance: 9/10)
- We prioritized programs that offer extensive coverage of various phishing tactics, ensuring a well-rounded learning experience.
- Realism of Training Scenarios (Importance: 8/10)
- Programs that utilize realistic, current phishing scenarios ranked higher, as they better prepare users for real-world threats.
- User-Friendliness of the Training Platform (Importance: 7/10)
- Ease of use was a key factor, as it encourages more consistent engagement and learning.
- Customizability to Business Needs (Importance: 8/10)
- We looked for training that can be tailored to different business contexts, enhancing its relevance and effectiveness.
- Reporting and Analytics Tools (Importance: 8/10)
- Strong reporting capabilities were important to gauge the program’s impact and user progress.
- Ongoing Support and Updates (Importance: 7/10)
- Continuous support and updated content were crucial to keep the training relevant over time.
- Cost-Effectiveness (Importance: 6/10)
- We considered the balance between quality and affordability, recognizing the budget constraints of small businesses.
- Customer Reviews and Testimonials (Importance: 5/10)
- Feedback from other businesses provided insights into the program’s practicality and effectiveness.
- Certification or Acknowledgment of Completion (Importance: 4/10)
- We valued programs offering certification or completion acknowledgment as a bonus for boosting morale and credibility.
- Ease of Integration with Existing Systems (Importance: 6/10)
- Programs that easily integrate with existing IT infrastructure scored higher for ease of implementation and use.
Through our meticulous approach, we aim to endorse phishing training solutions that genuinely equip teams against this ever-present threat. By aligning with our criteria, our recommendations are poised to fortify an organization’s first line of defense: its people.
Top Security Awareness Training Options
Here are the top options for simulated phishing campaigns and security awareness training programs:
1. KnowBe4
KnowBe4’s Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training (KMSAT) allows you to run tests regularly with real-life examples of malicious emails. You can start by testing how prone your employees are to phishing using realistic scenarios, then move on to train them.
KMSAT’s comprehensive training program includes a mix of interactive modules, videos, and newsletters to train users. You also get insights into employee performance to assign additional training if needed.
2. Infosec Institute
Phishing simulations and training from Infosec Institute have over 1,000 templates to build simulated campaigns. And that library is updated regularly to simulate recent and ongoing attacks.
With Infosec, you can provide personalized anti-phishing training to your employees on auto-pilot. Once you configure the schedule, users start receiving the simulated emails and training videos automatically.
3. Phished Phishing Simulations
Phished delivers interactive cybersecurity education with the help of automated simulations. With Phished Phishing Simulations, you can train employees to spot phishing emails and smishing (SMS phishing) attacks. The knowledge is imparted through a series of micro-learnings.
It sends AI-driven simulations and analytics reports back with the results. The entire sequence is automated. So, you can easily set it up and forget.
4. PhishingBox Phishing Simulator
PhishingBox simulator uses test phishing attacks to train employees. It provides a range of templates and landing pages for quick setup, ease of use, and customizability.
With PhishingBox Phishing Simulator, you can ensure your employees are fully prepared for an attack. PhishingBox also has a Learning Management System (LMS) to monitor everyone’s progress.
5. Gophish Open-Source Phishing Framework
Gophish is a phishing framework to help you test how phishing-prone your organization is. This free tool can design realistic phishing email templates and schedule them. And then, you can track the results in near real-time.
Unlike other tools, Gophish doesn’t have a host of complex features. It’s a minimal and easy-to-use program designed just for testing.
6. Infosequre Phishing Simulation
Infosequre has many premade scenarios with realistic phishing emails and text messages. You can use exercises of Infosequre Phishing Simulation to track your employees’ capability and presence of mind. The platform sends custom exercises and feedback depending on how someone acts.
You can use your own dedicated server. So, no one outside your organization can access your information, phishing tests, and feedback.
7. Proofpoint
Proofpoint Security Awareness Training is the key to cyber defense. You can use it to train your team to identify and report phishing messages. It helps make everyone better aware of the cyber threats looming in the air.
With Proofpoint Security Awareness Training, you can run phishing USB simulations based on real-world threats, get knowledge and culture assessments, and get an in-depth analytics report that identifies your top clickers.
8. Terranova
Terranova’s Phishing Simulation leverage dynamic content in various formats to engage the users. It helps you quickly and easily identify the employees at the most risk and make them aware of it.
With its realistic simulation, you can create mock phishing attacks to train your employees for D-day. You can empower them with all the skills to recognize and report phishing emails.
9. SafeTitan Plus Phishing Protection
SafeTitan is an advanced platform for real-time training. It has several templates to automate your training campaign fully. Each user gets customized training depending on their test responses.
The program uses short gamified tests to create an interactive and enjoyable environment for employee training. The content library of SafeTitan Plus Phishing Protection also has an extensive amount of training resources.
10. Hook Security
Hook Security’s phishing training toolkit is a comprehensive training resource for your most significant asset: the employees. It uses a series of fast, bite-sized training modules to make learning easy.
With Hook’s Phishing Testing, you can easily set up mock tests for phishing and spear phishing attacks. Employees get instant feedback and learn to make themselves better aware of the risks. And you get comprehensive reporting to drill down into specifics.
Best Practices for Implementing Phishing Training
Implementing phishing training effectively requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices to consider:
- Conduct a Training Needs Assessment: Assess your organization’s current cybersecurity knowledge and identify specific areas that need improvement.
- Tailor Training to Roles: Customize training programs based on employees’ roles and responsibilities to address relevant phishing scenarios.
- Frequent and Realistic Simulations: Conduct regular phishing simulations with real-life examples to keep employees vigilant.
- Reinforce Learning: Provide continuous learning opportunities through regular updates, newsletters, and short quizzes.
- Promote Reporting Culture: Encourage employees to report suspicious emails and incidents promptly.
- Management Support: Secure support from top management to ensure the training’s importance and commitment.
- Measure Effectiveness: Continuously evaluate the training’s impact through metrics like click-through rates and reported incidents.
- Follow-Up Training: Offer additional training for employees who may need extra guidance or who fell for simulated phishing attempts.
- Keep Training Engaging: Use interactive elements, gamification, and real-world scenarios to keep employees engaged.
- Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the latest phishing tactics and update training content accordingly.
| Best Practice | Description |
|---|---|
| Conduct a Training Needs Assessment | Assess your organization's current cybersecurity knowledge and identify specific areas that need improvement. |
| Tailor Training to Roles | Customize training programs based on employees' roles and responsibilities to address relevant phishing scenarios. |
| Frequent and Realistic Simulations | Conduct regular phishing simulations with real-life examples to keep employees vigilant. |
| Reinforce Learning | Provide continuous learning opportunities through regular updates, newsletters, and short quizzes. |
| Promote Reporting Culture | Encourage employees to report suspicious emails and incidents promptly. |
| Management Support | Secure support from top management to ensure the training's importance and commitment. |
| Measure Effectiveness | Continuously evaluate the training's impact through metrics like click-through rates and reported incidents. |
| Follow-Up Training | Offer additional training for employees who may need extra guidance or who fell for simulated phishing attempts. |
| Keep Training Engaging | Use interactive elements, gamification, and real-world scenarios to keep employees engaged. |
| Stay Updated | Keep abreast of the latest phishing tactics and update training content accordingly. |
By adhering to these best practices, organizations can significantly enhance their employees’ ability to identify and thwart phishing attacks, ultimately strengthening the company’s overall cybersecurity posture.
What Are Phishing Attacks Exercises?
Phishing attack exercises are a type of mock cyber-attacks in which the attacker attempts to acquire login credentials by masquerading as a legitimate entity in emails or other communication channels. Phishing attack exercises or phishing tests are often used in training simulations for employees of organizations.
How Much Does Phishing Training Cost?
It depends on the organization. While a few smaller companies may only spend $500 or less per year, the average medium-sized company spends about $1,600 annually, and large organizations can spend up to $50,000 or more.
Several phishing awareness training options are available, ranging from online tutorials and self-paced courses to live classroom sessions led by expert instructors. Organizations should consider their specific needs and pick the phishing training program that suits their requirements.
Does Phishing Training Work?
Phishing training has proven to be an effective tool in combating phishing attacks and enhancing an organization’s cybersecurity resilience. However, its success depends on several key factors:
- Quality of Training Content: The training materials must be comprehensive, up-to-date, and relevant to real-world phishing scenarios. Engaging content with practical examples helps employees grasp the concepts effectively.
- Continuous Learning: Phishing threats evolve rapidly, so continuous learning is essential. Regularly updating the training content with the latest phishing techniques and trends keeps employees informed and prepared.
- Interactive Training Approach: Interactive elements, such as quizzes, simulations, and gamification, make the training engaging and enjoyable, increasing employees’ retention of critical information.
- Reinforcement and Follow-up: Reinforcing the training through newsletters, reminders, and periodic simulations reinforces good practices and helps employees stay vigilant against potential threats.
- Reporting Culture: Encouraging employees to promptly report suspicious emails or incidents is crucial. Creating a reporting culture fosters quick action, allowing IT teams to respond promptly to potential threats.
By implementing an effective phishing training program that incorporates these factors, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to phishing attacks and enhance overall cybersecurity awareness among their workforce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Phishing Awareness Training?
Phishing awareness training is a program designed to help employees recognize and avoid phishing emails and attacks, which attempt to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.
Why Should You Offer Phishing Training for Employees?
Offering phishing training for employees is crucial because they are often the weakest link in an organization’s cybersecurity. Phishing attacks target employees to gain access to company networks and sensitive information.
What Are the Top Security Awareness Training Options?
The top options for security awareness training include KnowBe4, Infosec Institute, Phished Phishing Simulations, PhishingBox Phishing Simulator, Gophish Open-Source Phishing Framework, Infosequre Phishing Simulation, Proofpoint, Terranova, SafeTitan Plus Phishing Protection, and Hook Security.
What Are the Best Practices for Implementing Phishing Training?
Implementing effective phishing training requires careful planning and execution. Some best practices include conducting a training needs assessment, tailoring training to roles, conducting frequent and realistic simulations, reinforcing learning, promoting a reporting culture, securing management support, measuring effectiveness, offering follow-up training, keeping training engaging, and staying updated.
What Are Phishing Attack Exercises?
Phishing attack exercises are mock cyber-attacks used in training simulations. Attackers attempt to acquire login credentials by pretending to be a legitimate entity in emails or communication channels.
How Much Does Phishing Training Cost?
The cost of phishing training varies based on the organization’s size and specific needs. Smaller companies may spend around $500 per year, medium-sized companies spend about $1,600 annually, and larger organizations can spend up to $50,000 or more.
Does Phishing Training Work?
Yes, phishing training is effective when practical and informative. It equips employees with the knowledge needed to protect themselves from phishing attacks and helps organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture.
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Awesome article about phishing training providers!
Here’s my take. When choosing a phishing awareness training platform, go for the ones based on science and big data behavior insights. They go beyond click rates and report rates, uncovering the real reasons behind user risk. Plus, they offer smarter security choices through gentle, science-backed nudges.
Old-style security awareness training and phishing simulations are fading out. We’re now in a world where data and behavior predictions lead the way. It’s not just watching behavior for tick-box compliance reasons; it’s actively shaping it.