iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Security awareness training is the broad learning program; a phishing simulation is a focused practice exercise inside that program. Training builds knowledge and habits across many security risks, while a simulation sends a controlled fake phishing message so employees can practice recognizing, reporting and safely handling a suspicious message. A simulation can reveal where instruction needs improvement, but its click rate is not a complete measure of security behavior.
The practical choice is not “training or simulations.” A mature program uses both: teach the principles and procedures, rehearse them with realistic messages, make reporting easy, then use contextualized results to improve the next lesson or exercise.
At a glance: the difference between the two
| Comparison point | Security awareness training | Phishing simulation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Build broad security knowledge, judgment and response habits over time. | Practice detecting and reporting a simulated phishing message in a controlled setting. |
| Typical format | Lessons, briefings, awareness information, exercises and policy or procedure instruction. | A fake email or other simulated message delivered to a defined employee group. |
| Topics covered | Phishing plus other security issues, safe handling of information, account protection and organizational response procedures. | The specific recognition and reporting behavior required for the simulated scenario. |
| Evidence collected | Completion, knowledge or learning measures selected by the organization; no single universal measure is prescribed by the sources discussed here. | Usually click rate and reporting rate, interpreted alongside message difficulty and recipient context. |
| Best use | Establish the concepts, decisions and procedures employees need before and after practice. | Rehearse behavior, identify confusing scenarios and test whether the reporting path works. |
| What it cannot show by itself | Completion does not prove that a person will recognize every future attack. | A raw click rate does not fully describe an employee’s security behavior or the difficulty of the message. |
NIST describes embedded phishing-awareness programs as simulated messages used to prepare people for real-world scenarios. It also describes awareness programs as continuing efforts intended to produce long-term behavior change. That makes the simulation a component of awareness training, not a substitute for it.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What security awareness training teaches
1. A broad mental model of security risk
Awareness training gives employees a framework for making safer decisions, rather than teaching one isolated warning sign. A lesson can explain why attackers impersonate trusted people, why urgency is persuasive, how credential theft differs from malware delivery, and which internal process should be used when something seems wrong. The same program can cover account protection, handling sensitive information, use of devices and applications, physical security and incident reporting.
#1 Best Overall
- Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
- With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
- Wide Application: attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
- Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
- Economical &Reusable: Built durable materials with a long-lasting battery,our CAGIWIRU air duster it's a sustainable alternative to disposable air cans.
The point is durable judgment. An employee should be able to pause when a request is unusual, verify it through a trusted channel and choose the organization’s approved response even when the message does not match an example seen in class.
2. The organization’s required response
Knowledge is incomplete if staff do not know what to do next. Training should identify the approved reporting route, explain what information to preserve, and distinguish reporting a mistake from hiding it. It should also state when a person must contact a help desk, security team or manager immediately. These procedures turn recognition into a useful defensive action.
NIST materials emphasize reporting as a goal, not merely avoiding a click. If an employee can report a suspicious message quickly, the organization has a chance to examine it, warn other recipients and contain an account that may have been exposed.
Recommended Free Tools
3. Habits that persist between exercises
Awareness is normally recurring rather than a one-time orientation. Short reminders, policy explanations, scenario discussions and role-specific instruction reinforce the same decision pattern: stop, inspect, verify and report. The frequency and format should reflect the organization’s risks and workforce, because the reviewed NIST sources do not establish one universal schedule or one best delivery format.
4. Understanding beyond email
Phishing is only one delivery method. A broad program can prepare staff for suspicious text messages, phone calls, collaboration-platform invitations, unexpected file-sharing notices and requests that arrive through a known account after it has been compromised. It can also teach secure behavior after a suspected incident. A phishing exercise cannot, by itself, teach all of those topics.
What a phishing simulation teaches
1. Recognition under realistic conditions
A simulation presents a controlled message that resembles a real attack without exposing the organization to a genuine malicious payload. The recipient must decide whether to open, inspect, report or delete it. That practice tests the transition from knowing a rule in a lesson to applying it when the message uses a familiar name, a plausible request or a time-sensitive pretext.
Rank #2
- Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
- Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
- Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
- Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
- Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth
Difficulty matters. A message may contain obvious warning signs, or it may be carefully tailored to the recipient’s role and normal workflow. NIST’s Phish Scale User Guide, published in November 2023, gives implementers a method to “rate an email’s human phishing detection difficulty.” That rating adds essential context to the result.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall2. Reporting behavior
The strongest exercise does not end when a person avoids the link. It gives the person a clear, low-friction way to report the message and records that action. Organizations can provide a reporting button or another visible route, then explain what happens after a report is submitted. Employees should learn that a fast report is valuable even when they are uncertain.
3. A narrow set of observable actions
Simulation data can show whether a recipient clicked a potentially malicious link or attachment and whether the recipient reported the message. It can also show how many people received the message, which is needed to calculate the rates. Those observations are useful for selecting follow-up instruction, but they do not describe every part of security behavior.
How the two activities fit together
Use training to establish the rules and the response process; use simulations to rehearse those rules and test the process in context. Results then feed the next training cycle. For example, a lesson might explain how to verify an invoice-change request. A later simulation can present a realistic invoice scenario, measure both clicking and reporting, and reveal whether employees know where to escalate it.
Simulations should not become a “gotcha” contest. If employees believe the goal is to catch or embarrass them, they may conceal mistakes or distrust legitimate security messages. Explain that the exercise is controlled, define the expected response, and use the outcome to improve both instruction and organizational safeguards.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat each one measures—and what the numbers mean
Click rate
NIST defines click rate as the number of recipients who clicked a potentially malicious link or attachment divided by the number of people who received the simulated message. Expressed as a percentage:
Rank #3
- 【Large size】：Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
- 【LED backlight mouse pad】：Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
- 【Anti-slip rubber base】：Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
- 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
- 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.
click rate = recipients who clicked ÷ recipients sent the message × 100
A lower rate can indicate better recognition for that particular scenario, but it is not a universal risk score. Message wording, delivery timing, role, prior exposure to similar exercises and the audience’s normal work all affect the result.
Reporting rate
Reporting rate is the number of recipients who reported the suspicious message divided by the number who received it:
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
reporting rate = recipients who reported ÷ recipients sent the message × 100
A high reporting rate is useful only if reporting is the behavior the organization wants and the route is working. Track whether reports reach the right team, how quickly they arrive and whether the organization can act on them.
Why a click rate alone is insufficient
NIST cautions that click rates by themselves do not provide a complete picture of staff behavior. A difficult, highly targeted message may produce more clicks than an obvious test even among a well-trained group. Conversely, a low click rate may reflect an implausibly simple exercise that does not resemble the threats employees face.
Rank #4
- 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
- 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
- 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
- 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
- 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.
Shanée Dawkins, a NIST computer scientist who researches human-centered cybersecurity, captures the recipient-specific nature of the problem: “A phishing email doesn’t have to be crafted perfectly for everyone to be effective; it just has to be perfectly crafted for just one person.” Evaluate results by audience and scenario instead of turning one percentage into a ranking of people or departments.
Training measures
For awareness training, choose measures that match the learning objective. Completion can show reach; a knowledge check can show understanding of the material presented; a later exercise can show whether a particular behavior was practiced. The sources discussed here do not prescribe one universal training metric, so document what each measure actually represents and avoid treating completion as proof of safe behavior in every situation.
How to design a combined program
- Define the behaviors. Write the actions employees should take for the risks that matter in your environment: verify unusual requests, avoid entering credentials through an unexpected link, report suspicious messages and contact the designated response team after a possible mistake.
- Teach the concepts first. Use awareness lessons, briefings or short activities to explain common attack patterns, verification methods and the organization’s reporting procedure. Include examples from the roles and systems employees actually use.
- Make reporting easy. Provide a clearly labeled reporting button or an equally simple process. Tell staff what information is captured and what happens after they report. A complicated process can suppress the very behavior the exercise is intended to build.
- Choose a controlled scenario. Select a message that tests a defined skill without collecting real passwords or delivering harmful content. Decide which population should receive it and why the scenario is relevant to that population.
- Rate the message difficulty. Apply the NIST Phish Scale approach to describe how difficult the message is for a human recipient to detect. Keep the rating with the results so later comparisons are meaningful.
- Run the exercise and record both actions. Record the number sent, clicks or attachment openings where applicable, reports and timing. Protect individual data and limit access to people who need it for support or improvement.
- Analyze by context. Examine the audience, role, message characteristics and delivery circumstances before drawing conclusions. Look for patterns such as strong reporting in one group, repeated uncertainty around a particular request or a reporting path that generates delayed responses.
- Provide immediate, respectful feedback. If a person interacts with the simulation, explain the indicators that should have prompted caution and show the correct reporting route. Do not frame the result as a permanent label.
- Adapt instruction and controls. Use the observed gaps to revise examples, clarify procedures, improve technical warnings or adjust the next exercise. Repeat the learning cycle rather than treating one campaign as a final verdict.
How to interpret results without misleading employees or leaders
Compare like with like
Trend lines are more useful when the message difficulty, audience definition and calculation method are consistent. If a later exercise is intentionally harder or aimed at a different role, state that clearly instead of presenting the percentages as a direct improvement or decline.
Segment for learning, not punishment
Role-based analysis can reveal which procedures need more explanation. It should not be used to shame individuals or publish a league table. Individual records may be necessary for coaching or incident response, but aggregate reporting is usually better for program decisions.
Pair behavior metrics with operational outcomes
Consider whether reports reached the right team, whether analysts responded quickly and whether employees followed the escalation procedure. A person who did not click but also failed to report may have prevented one exposure while leaving other recipients at risk. A person who clicked and immediately reported may enable rapid containment. The two outcomes require different coaching.
Use the Phish Scale as context, not a magic conversion
The Phish Scale is a method for rating human detection difficulty; it does not turn a click rate into a guaranteed probability of a real-world incident. Apply it consistently to make scenario comparisons more informative, while preserving the limits of what the exercise observed.
Best Value
- 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
- 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
- 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
- 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
- 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.
Common mistakes and better alternatives
| Mistake | Why it fails | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Treating a simulation as the entire awareness program | Employees practice one message type without learning other risks or response procedures. | Embed exercises in recurring, broad security instruction. |
| Using raw click rate as the only score | It ignores message difficulty, audience context and reporting behavior. | Record clicks and reports, rate difficulty and explain the scenario context. |
| Making reporting cumbersome | People may ignore suspicious messages or stop after deciding not to click. | Provide a visible, simple reporting route and explain the follow-up. |
| Sending implausible tests | A very obvious message may measure recognition of the exercise rather than readiness for a realistic attack. | Use scenarios that reflect actual workflows while keeping them safe and controlled. |
| Publicly shaming repeat clickers | Fear can discourage honest reporting and damage trust in the program. | Offer targeted coaching, accessible explanations and role-relevant practice. |
| Assuming completion equals competence | Finishing a lesson proves exposure to content, not reliable behavior in a new situation. | Combine learning checks with later practice and procedure adherence. |
| Claiming simulations alone reduce incidents | The reviewed sources do not establish a causal guarantee that simulations by themselves prevent real-world phishing incidents. | Describe simulations as one control within training, reporting, technical defenses and incident response. |
How often should simulations run?
There is no universally established cadence in the sources discussed here. Frequency should follow the organization’s threat environment, workforce changes, prior results, operational tolerance and ability to provide useful feedback. A schedule that produces frequent tests but no coaching can create fatigue; a schedule that is too sparse may not reinforce the reporting habit.
Document the reason for each exercise, vary scenarios only when the learning objective changes, and leave enough time to explain results and improve instruction. Treat the wording “How often are phishing simulations conducted within your organization?” as a survey question, not as evidence of a population-wide standard.
What the available evidence does—and does not—show
NISTIR 8420A reported that just over 85% of the 89 participant organizations in its 2022 federal cybersecurity awareness program study performed some type of phishing simulation. That figure describes those study participants; it is not the percentage of all organizations and should not be presented as a current universal adoption rate.
The same body of NIST guidance supports combining awareness instruction with simulated practice, measuring both clicks and reports, and interpreting results in light of human detection difficulty. It does not establish a single best training format, a universal simulation schedule or a direct, guaranteed reduction in real-world incidents from simulations alone.
CISA’s August 2025 fact sheet recommends realistic simulations and employee training for state, local, tribal and territorial governments. That recommendation applies to the SLTT government context; it should not be generalized into a claim about every sector or organization.
Quick Recap
A practical decision rule
- If employees do not know how to identify or report a suspicious message, start with awareness instruction and a clear reporting procedure.
- If employees know the rules but hesitate in realistic situations, add a controlled simulation tied to a specific behavior.
- If click results change sharply between scenarios, examine message difficulty and audience context before changing the program.
- If reporting is rare, improve the reporting path and explain the expected response instead of focusing only on avoiding clicks.
- If the organization is using simulations without broader instruction, treat that as a program gap: the exercise is practice, not the curriculum.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
