Customizing Phishing Simulations for Different Departments: A CISO’s Guide

Phishing has evolved from broad, random emails to highly targeted campaigns that mirror the real workflows of specific departments. HR receives fake job applications, Finance sees fraudulent invoice requests, and IT faces spoofed security alerts—each crafted to exploit their unique responsibilities.

What’s more, attackers are now leveraging artificial intelligence to make these threats even more convincing. According to Harvard Business Review, 60% of recipients fall victim to GenAI-driven phishing attacks, showing that AI-powered campaigns are just as effective as traditional ones, if not more so.

To strengthen defenses, CISOs must align simulations with the specific behaviors and vulnerabilities of each team. This guide will walk through how to identify departmental risks, tailor phishing simulations accordingly, and leverage Keepnet’s Human Risk Management platform to automate, personalize, and measure impact.

Why Generic Simulations Fail

Generic phishing simulations overlook how attackers target specific departments. Finance teams often receive fraudulent payment requests, HR is baited with fake job applications, and IT faces alerts that mimic system failures or credential requests.

When simulations don’t reflect these unique attack patterns, employees may not recognize or respond effectively to the threats they’re most likely to encounter. Training becomes less impactful, and vulnerabilities remain unaddressed.

Customizing phishing simulations by department makes training more relevant, sharpens detection skills, and builds a stronger security posture across the organization.

To understand why employees still fall for these tactics—even with training—explore the Keepnet article: The Hidden Psychology Behind Phishing Simulations: Why Employees Still Click.

Map Departmental Risk Before Simulating

Proactively identifying departmental risks ensures simulations are targeted, effective, and aligned with organizational goals.

• Assess Potential Risks: Evaluate each department’s processes, systems, and dependencies to identify vulnerabilities, such as resource constraints, compliance issues, or operational bottlenecks.
• Prioritize Critical Areas: Prioritize departments with higher risk based on how likely they are to be targeted and the potential impact of a breach.
• Engage Stakeholders: Work closely with department heads to understand their specific challenges and tailor simulations accordingly.
• Document Findings: Document the risks you’ve found, their impact, and the type of phishing scenario that would best address them.
• Align with Objectives: Make sure each simulation supports your broader security goals and helps teams prepare for the attacks they’re most likely to face.

Build Custom Simulations by Role

Each department is exposed to different phishing tactics based on their responsibilities. Customizing simulations by role ensures the training is relevant and prepares employees for the threats they’re most likely to encounter.

• HR: HR can benefit from realistic scenarios like fake job applications or internal policy update emails—simple yet effective ways to test and improve response without technical complexity.

For example, a message like “Mandatory HR Briefing Session” asking employees to join a meeting on policy and salary updates—just like this phishing scenario from Keepnet Phishing Simulator —can effectively test how HR staff respond to realistic, role-specific lures.

• Finance: Simulate phishing scenarios such as fraudulent invoice requests or fake payment authorization emails—common tactics used in business email compromise (BEC) attacks.

For example, a fake payment reminder email—like the one shown below—can be used to test how well finance staff identify phishing attempts disguised as routine invoice notifications. These simulations exploit urgency and trust to prompt quick, risky actions.

• IT: IT teams can benefit from scenarios like fake system alerts, password reset emails, or software update notifications—testing their ability to spot phishing disguised as trusted internal tools.

For IT teams, simulations can include fake system alerts or technical error messages—like the example below—designed to look like automated notifications from trusted services, prompting users to click through and “resolve” an issue. These test how well IT staff recognize phishing disguised as internal support or system maintenance.

You can start testing these role-specific scenarios using Keepnet’s Free Phishing Simulation Test—a simple way to evaluate your team’s awareness and tailor your approach before committing to a full program.

Automate and Personalize Simulations with Keepnet

Keepnet Phishing Simulator makes it easy to launch advanced, targeted phishing simulations at scale—without manual effort. Its AI-powered phishing simulation tool adapts to user behavior, delivering smarter campaigns with every run.

With access to 6,000+ realistic phishing templates, you can create engaging simulations that reflect the latest social engineering tactics across email, SMS, voice, QR codes, MFA bypass, and callback phishing.

As employees interact with simulations, risky behaviors are identified instantly, and micro-training is automatically triggered—reinforcing secure habits in the moment. This continuous loop of testing and training builds lasting resilience across your organization.

Measure and Optimize Phishing Simulation Results

Tracking performance is key to improving your phishing simulations and reducing risk over time. Focus on meaningful metrics like click rates, reporting rates, response times, and repeat offenders.

Break down the results by department to understand which teams are improving and which need more attention. This helps you adjust simulation frequency, complexity, and content for better outcomes.

Use tools like Threat Intelligence to align simulations with active phishing trends, Email Threat Simulator to assess technical gaps, and Incident Responder to measure how well employees and security teams respond to threats. These insights help guide smarter, more effective campaigns.

For more guidance, read Keepnet’s article: How to Set the Right Security Awareness Metrics to Protect Your Organization.

Best Practices for Departmental Simulations

Running phishing simulations by department requires more than just changing templates—it demands thoughtful execution. Here’s how to ensure they’re impactful:

• Target the Most Vulnerable First: Begin with high-risk departments like Finance, HR, and IT—teams often targeted due to their access to sensitive data or authority in processing transactions.
• Tailor Simulations to Daily Tasks: Align phishing scenarios with each department’s routine. For example, use fake CVs for HR or spoofed payment requests for Finance. Relevance increases realism—and employee engagement.
• Collaborate with Department Heads: Partner with business leaders to understand operational nuances and get their buy-in. Their support is criticall for promoting the value of simulations internally.
• Reinforce with Timely Feedback: Send immediate, context-specific micro-training to employees who interact with phishing emails. This ensures learning happens at the moment of risk, improving retention and behavior change.
• Maintain a Positive Learning Culture: Avoid blame. Make it clear that the goal is education, not punishment. A psychologically safe environment encourages employees to report suspicious activity—even after mistakes.
• Encourage a Reporting Culture: Recognize employees who report suspicious emails with simple rewards like shout-outs, certificates, or small incentives. This reinforces secure behavior and motivates ongoing vigilance.
• Adjust Frequency Based on Risk: Not every department needs to be tested at the same pace. Use simulation results to decide how often each team should be tested based on their risk level and performance trends.

For a deeper implementation guide, read Keepnet’s article: How to Run an Effective Phishing Simulation Program.

Smarter Simulations for Stronger Security

Effective phishing defense starts with relevance. Generic simulations fail to prepare employees for the specific tactics targeting their roles. The key is to match simulations to real departmental threats, reinforce learning with immediate feedback and nudges, and monitor user behavior consistently. This sharpens awareness, improves reporting, and minimizes human error. When phishing simulations are tailored, consistent, and backed by clear insights, they not only reduce risk—they also foster a strong security culture where employees become active defenders, not passive targets. To dive deeper into creating a workplace where secure behavior becomes second nature, check out Keepnet’s guide on Building a Security-Conscious Corporate Culture.