Red Teaming Exercises
Unlike traditional penetration testing, red teaming focuses on stealth, persistence, and achieving specific objectives such as gaining access to sensitive data while avoiding detection. These exercises often involve a combination of techniques, including phishing, social engineering, network exploitation, and physical intrusion, to mimic the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of real attackers.
Phishing simulations are often an integral part of security training, designed to ensure employees remain vigilant and capable of identifying phishing attempts. These exercises should reinforce positive behavior by rewarding employees who correctly recognize phishing emails, while those who fall for them should be guided through additional education rather than blamed. The goal is to foster a learning culture rather than instill fear or punishment.
To maximize effectiveness, phishing simulations should not be conducted as a one-time event across the entire organization, as this can create excessive awareness and diminish their impact. Instead, simulations should be distributed strategically, targeting different groups of employees at varying times. This approach maintains a heightened sense of awareness and prevents employees from becoming desensitized to phishing threats.The simulations often rely on generic email templates that are easy for technical employees to spot or use overly common tactics, such as impersonating the CEO. However, real-world phishing attacks are often far more sophisticated and tailored to their targets. Instead of using generic templates, organizations should design phishing simulations based on real-world scenarios relevant to their internal operations. For example, emails could reference recent team-building events, report issues with frequently used internal tools. In targeted phishing campaigns, attackers invest significant time researching their targets and crafting highly convincing emails using publicly available information. By implementing more realistic and context-specific phishing simulations, organizations can better prepare employees to recognize and respond to these advanced threats.
Outcome
- Phishing simulations are conducted on a regular basis
- Targeted simulations are done on a lower frequency
Metrics
- Number of employees who failed phishing simulations
- Number of employees who reported phishing emails
Tools & Resources
- TBD (Free)