Executing Phishing Simulation Campaign

When to Use

• Measuring employee susceptibility to phishing attacks as part of a security awareness program
• Testing the effectiveness of email security controls (secure email gateway, DMARC, SPF, DKIM)
• Conducting the social engineering component of a red team exercise to gain initial access
• Establishing a baseline for phishing susceptibility before deploying security awareness training
• Validating that incident response procedures work when employees report suspicious emails

Do not use without explicit written authorization from the organization's leadership, for actual credential theft beyond the authorized scope, for targeting individuals personally rather than professionally, or for sending phishing emails that could cause psychological harm or legal liability.

Prerequisites

• Written authorization from executive leadership specifying the campaign scope, target groups, and escalation procedures
• Coordination with the IT/security team to whitelist the sending infrastructure (or test whether it bypasses controls, depending on scope)
• GoPhish or equivalent phishing platform configured with a sending domain, SMTP relay, and landing page infrastructure
• Phishing domain registered and configured with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to maximize deliverability
• Employee email list from HR, organized by department for targeted campaigns
• Incident response team briefed on the campaign timeline and escalation procedures

Workflow

Step 1: Campaign Planning and Pretext Development

Design realistic phishing scenarios based on threats relevant to the target organization:

• Pretext selection: Choose scenarios that mirror real-world attacks:
  • IT support: Password expiration notice requiring immediate action
  • HR department: Benefits enrollment, policy acknowledgment, W-2/tax document
  • Executive impersonation: Urgent request from CEO/CFO to review a document
  • Vendor/supplier: Invoice requiring review, delivery notification
  • Cloud services: Microsoft 365 shared document, Google Drive access, Zoom meeting invitation
• Target segmentation: Divide employees into groups by department, role, or access level. High-value targets (finance, IT admin, executives) may receive more sophisticated pretexts.
• Timing: Schedule sends during business hours, preferably Tuesday-Thursday when email engagement is highest. Avoid holidays, mass layoff periods, or other sensitive times.
• Success metrics: Define what constitutes campaign success: email open rate, link click rate, credential submission rate, report rate (employees who report the phish to IT)

Step 2: Infrastructure Setup

Configure the phishing infrastructure:

• Domain registration: Register a domain that resembles the target organization's domain (typosquatting, homograph, or brand-adjacent). Examples: target-corp.com, targetcorp-portal.com, targetsupport.net
• SSL certificate: Obtain a TLS certificate for the phishing domain (Let's Encrypt) to display the padlock icon
• GoPhish configuration:
  • Set up the GoPhish server on a VPS with the phishing domain
  • Configure the SMTP sending profile with the phishing domain's mail server
  • Create the email template with tracking pixel and link to the landing page
  • Build the credential harvesting landing page that mirrors the target's login portal
  • Import the target email list and create user groups
• Email authentication: Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for the phishing domain to pass email authentication checks and improve delivery rates
• Test delivery: Send test emails to a controlled inbox to verify rendering, link tracking, and landing page functionality

Step 3: Campaign Execution

Launch the phishing campaign:

• Send emails in batches to avoid triggering rate limits or spam filters (e.g., 50 emails per hour)
• Monitor GoPhish dashboard in real-time for delivery failures, bounces, and early interactions
• Track metrics as they come in: emails sent, emails opened (tracking pixel fired), links clicked, credentials submitted
• If the IT security team or SOC detects the campaign (if this is part of the test), document the detection time and response actions
• Maintain an emergency stop procedure: if an employee becomes distressed or the campaign creates unintended consequences, pause immediately

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