Black Hat Defense
Email Phishing Assessment
Simulated Phishing Attacks to Evaluate Your Cybersecurity Vulnerability
A phishing assessment is designed to test how susceptible your organization is to phishing attacks by attempting to collect sensitive information or gain access to your systems through deceptive emails. These emails are carefully crafted to appear legitimate, often impersonating trusted individuals within your organization, making them highly effective.
Attackers frequently use phishing as the entry point for larger, more dangerous cyberattacks. At Black Hat Defense, we customize each phishing assessment to match the nuances of your organization, conducting an in-depth analysis of how a successful phishing attempt could impact your security. Each engagement concludes with a detailed social engineering report that outlines key findings and risk factors.
What is Phishing?
Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails designed to trick recipients into providing sensitive information, such as passwords, PINs, or other personal details. These emails typically appear to be from trusted sources, such as a known individual or reputable organization.
Though phishing is a long-standing cyberattack technique, it remains highly effective and poses a significant threat to both individuals and organizations.
Advanced Phishing Services
More Than Just Automated Testing
While many phishing assessments only measure if users click on suspicious links, we take it further. Our assessments simulate a full phishing attack, allowing us to analyze the true risks posed by social engineering tactics. We don’t just test for clicks – we assess the potential impact of a successful phishing attempt on your organization’s security.
Comprehensive Risk Analysis
Phishing risk consists of two key components: the likelihood of an attack and the potential damage it could cause. Our reports not only detail how susceptible your employees are but also provide an in-depth breakdown of what a successful attack could mean for your organization.
Structured Social Engineering Methodology
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Reconnaissance and Information Gathering
The first step in any social engineering engagement is gathering information about the target company and its employees. Using a ‘black box’ approach, our team conducts thorough research to uncover details that could be exploited in a phishing attack, such as job roles, departments, and business operations.
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Phishing Engagement
Once the phishing emails are ready, our security analysts send them to the targeted individuals. These emails are designed to look authentic, often imitating familiar websites or services. The goal is to encourage the user to click on a link, download a file, or take another action that compromises their security.
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Optional: Employee Education
As an added service, we offer employee training to help prevent future phishing attacks. This can be done through in-person sessions, webinars, or recorded presentations. Our security experts, who conducted the phishing assessment, lead the training, providing your staff with firsthand knowledge and practical advice.
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Crafting Pretext Scenarios and Payloads
After gathering the necessary information, we focus on developing the phishing emails and payloads. This includes designing emails that target specific individuals or departments with relevant pretext scenarios, ensuring the messages are highly convincing and tailored to the intended recipients.
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Reporting and Debriefing
Upon completing the phishing campaign, we provide a comprehensive report that summarizes the results. The report includes an executive overview, detailed risk assessment, and specific remediation steps. It also documents the successful phishing attempts and offers suggestions for improving security policies and training.
Highly Personalized Phishing Attacks
Spearphishing is a more targeted form of phishing, where the attack is aimed at a specific individual rather than a broad group. Before launching the attack, we conduct extensive research on your organization to gather information about the target employee. This allows us to craft a highly personalized and convincing phishing attempt.
Integrated Social Engineering Assessments
Cybercriminals don’t limit themselves to just one method of attack. In addition to phishing, they might employ other tactics like vishing (voice phishing), smishing (SMS phishing), or even attempting to physically infiltrate your organization. By integrating multiple attack vectors, we can provide a more comprehensive assessment of your organization’s vulnerability to social engineering.
Assess Your Phishing Risk Today
Our tailored phishing assessments give you a clear understanding of how vulnerable your organization is to phishing attacks and what steps you need to take to improve your defenses.