Why Phishing Simulations Should Be More Than One-Off Events

Stuttgart, Germany - September 24, 2025

How continuous simulations strengthen employee resilience against evolving phishing attacks

Phishing remains the leading cause of data breaches, business email compromise, and ransomware incidents. While most organizations acknowledge the risk, many still treat phishing simulations as annual or quarterly exercises designed to satisfy compliance requirements. This one-off approach misses the point: attackers do not strike once a year, and employee awareness must be reinforced continuously.

AWM AwareX addresses this gap with a platform that delivers ongoing, adaptive phishing simulations. Instead of predictable campaigns, employees face realistic scenarios throughout the year. Varying lures, timing, and difficulty makes training reflect the unpredictability of real-world attacks and conditions employees to stay alert in their daily routines.

CypSec complements this with governance and analytics. Each simulation result is integrated into the company's risk management platform, creating individual and organizational risk scores. Such insights allow security leaders to focus resources on the most vulnerable areas, while also tracking improvements over time.

Continuous simulations also support role-specific resilience. Executives, finance staff, and administrators are frequent phishing targets due to their access privileges. AWM AwareX's adaptive training ensures these high-risk groups receive tailored scenarios, while CypSec enforces policy-based protections to limit the damage of potential compromises.

"Attackers don't wait for compliance calendars. Continuous phishing simulations prepare employees for the reality of daily threats," said Frederick Roth, Chief Information Security Officer at CypSec.

Another advantage of ongoing simulations is measuring progress against evolving tactics. Phishing emails have become more sophisticated, using AI-driven personalization, compromised supplier accounts, and real-time payload adjustments. Static, annual tests cannot replicate this complexity. Continuous campaigns ensure employees are exposed to changing tactics before attackers exploit them.

Embedding phishing awareness into daily operations changes culture. Employees stop viewing security as a compliance burden and start seeing it as part of their professional responsibility. When combined with positive reinforcement and transparent reporting, organizations cultivate accountability rather than fear.

From a compliance perspective, continuous phishing simulations also simplify audit readiness. Instead of demonstrating a single annual test, organizations can show regulators and auditors a year-round program of measurable, data-driven improvements in employee awareness and response.

Partnering with AWM AwareX and CypSec allows organizations to move beyond checkbox exercises. They gain a program that evolves with threats, strengthens security culture, and integrates directly into enterprise risk management. Continuous phishing simulations are not just a best practice. They are now an integral part to keep pace with attackers.

About AWM AwareX: AWM AwareX provides a security awareness platform with phishing simulations, training modules, and analytics to build resilient security cultures. Its solutions adapt to employee behavior, ensuring long-term awareness. For more information, visit awm-awarex.de.

About CypSec: CypSec delivers enterprise risk management, policy-as-code enforcement, and cybersecurity platforms. Together with AWM AwareX, it integrates human risk analytics into operational defense. For more information, visit cypsec.de.

Media Contact: Daria Fediay, Chief Executive Officer at CypSec - daria.fediay@cypsec.de.