How to Run an SMS Phishing Simulation to Strengthen Mobile Security

In 2024, SMS phishing attacks—or "smishing"—are rising fast, targeting the smartphones we rely on daily. These attacks bypass standard email protections, making it easier for attackers to deceive even cautious employees.

Running targeted SMS phishing simulations helps assess and boost your team’s ability to spot mobile phishing threats. Keepnet research shows that with focused training, organizations can increase employees' ability to recognize and report SMS phishing by 87% in just three months—a significant step in strengthening mobile security awareness.

This guide explains the importance of SMS phishing simulations, the steps for running them effectively, and strategies to help employees better recognize and avoid these attacks.

Why Run an SMS Phishing Simulation?

SMS phishing is on the rise because attackers see mobile devices as potential weak points in cybersecurity defenses. Smishing simulations allow you to assess how prepared employees are to recognize and respond to these mobile threats, providing valuable insights into your organization’s vulnerabilities in a mobile-first world. Through targeted simulations, you can:

• Assess Awareness Levels: Understand how many employees recognize phishing attempts via SMS.
• Evaluate Response Rates: Measure how quickly users report or avoid suspicious messages.
• Build a Proactive Culture: Empower employees to stay alert to phishing tactics that can target their devices anytime.

Using tools like the Keepnet SMS phishing simulator allows you to conduct realistic, data-driven simulations that support broader security awareness training initiatives and strengthen mobile defenses across your organization.

Step-by-Step Guide to Running an SMS Phishing Simulation

Running an SMS phishing simulation requires careful planning to ensure it mirrors real-world threats while effectively testing employee readiness. By simulating realistic SMS phishing attempts, you can identify which employees may need additional training and refine your overall cybersecurity strategy.

Here’s a step-by-step approach to launching an impactful SMS phishing simulation campaign.

1. Define Your Simulation Goals

To ensure your SMS phishing simulation has a meaningful impact, start by setting specific, measurable goals. Clear objectives will help you design a test that targets your organization’s unique risks and effectively assesses employee readiness. Consider focusing on the following goals:

• Reduce Click Rates on Fake Links: Track the drop in clicks on suspicious links to see if awareness training has improved.
• Increase Reporting Rates: Measure how often and how quickly employees report suspicious messages, indicating their attentiveness.
• Target High-Risk Groups: Identify roles or departments that might be more vulnerable to smishing, such as finance or HR, to customize further training.

By defining these goals, you establish a human risk management baseline, which can guide both current and future simulations and highlight areas for focused improvement.

2. Set Up a Realistic Smishing Simulation Campaign

Creating a realistic SMS phishing campaign is essential for testing employees’ reactions to the types of threats they’re most likely to encounter. Craft messages that mimic real-world scenarios to challenge employees’ ability to spot phishing attempts and reinforce their awareness of mobile-based risks.

Here are some key considerations when designing your simulation campaign:

Create Relevant Scenarios: Use messages that reflect scenarios employees could encounter, like password reset requests or notifications from IT support, to make the simulation feel authentic.

Optimize for Mobile Interaction: Ensure that links and message formats are mobile-friendly, resembling the type of design commonly used in SMS phishing, which boosts the campaign's realism.

Vary Message Content: Diversify phishing messages by including different types, such as urgent account alerts or "exclusive offers," to see how well employees can identify various tactics.

Tools like the Keepnet SMS phishing simulator allow organizations to customize phishing messages, sender details, and embedded links, creating a more realistic and impactful experience. By tailoring messages to match actual threat scenarios, employees gain practical experience in spotting and handling real SMS phishing attacks.

3. Segment Your Audience for Targeted Training

Segmenting your audience for SMS phishing simulations helps assess vulnerabilities across different departments or roles, tailoring the training to specific risks each group may face. High-risk areas like finance, HR, or IT often deal with sensitive information and may be more frequently targeted by attackers, making focused attention in simulations especially valuable.

Using a tool like Keepnet’s Phishing Simulator allows you to set up segmented campaigns and evaluate how different teams respond to phishing attempts.

Also with Keepnet’s Smishing Simulator, you can customize SMS delivery by choosing a Sender Phone Number, setting Frequency, and enabling Region-Aware Time Zone Delivery to reach users in their local time.

Audience segmentation provides actionable insights into which areas may need additional training, enabling you to customize security awareness programs to better support each team and strengthen your organization’s defenses against mobile threats.

4. Launch the Simulation and Monitor Employee Engagement

Once your SMS phishing simulation is set up, launch it at a strategic time to maximize its impact—consider deploying it during peak hours or following a recent cybersecurity training session.

Using a tool like Keepnet’s Smishing Simulator, you can track real-time engagement metrics to gauge employee responses, including:

• Click Rates on Links: Measure how many employees engage with potentially harmful links

Response and Reporting Times: See how quickly employees recognize and report phishing attempts.

Device Analytics: Identify if certain devices (e.g., Android, iOS) are more susceptible to smishing.

Tracking these metrics gives you a clear view of which employees or departments may need additional training, helping you adjust your human risk management strategy to address specific areas of vulnerability.

5. Analyze Results and Identify Training Gaps

After the simulation is complete, gather and analyze your data. Keepnet’s Human Risk Management Platform offers in-depth analytics that allow you to see exactly how each team or individual responded. This analysis phase is important, as it shows you where employees are excelling and where they may need additional support.

Consider analyzing the following:

• High Click Rates: High engagement with links could indicate a need for more training on recognizing suspicious messages.

Delayed Reporting Times: Slow reporting suggests employees may not fully understand the importance of acting fast.

Repeat Offenders: Employees who repeatedly fail simulations may benefit from targeted follow-up training.

These insights make it easy to track the effectiveness of your overall security awareness training efforts and refine future simulations to better target identified vulnerabilities.

6. Provide Immediate Feedback and Follow-Up Training

Timely feedback is critical to improving employees’ ability to recognize and avoid phishing attempts. After the simulation, follow up with a summary of the simulation results and offer tips on identifying potential SMS phishing scams in the future.

For those who missed red flags in the simulation, consider enrolling them in additional security awareness training that covers not only SMS phishing but also broader threats like spear phishing and vishing.

Benefits of Running SMS Phishing Simulations

Implementing SMS phishing simulations provides several key benefits for strengthening your organization’s mobile security defenses:

• Realistic Phishing Scenarios: Simulations allow you to design messages that closely mimic real threats, helping employees recognize authentic phishing attempts.
• Customizable Campaigns: Tailor each campaign to fit your organization’s unique needs, including specific message content, sender details, and audience segmentation.
• Data-Driven Insights: Use analytics from each simulation to assess areas of risk, track improvements, and continually refine your training programs.

Incorporating SMS phishing simulations into your overall security strategy strengthens defenses across the organization, fostering a vigilant and security-conscious workforce prepared to handle real-world mobile threats.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Running SMS Phishing Simulations

To ensure your simulations are effective and truly enhance awareness, avoid these common mistakes:

• Not Segmenting Audiences: Segmenting allows you to identify high-risk groups, like finance or HR, and customize training to fit each group’s needs.
• Overloading Employees with Simulations: Running too many simulations can lead to “alert overload,” where employees start ignoring or becoming less responsive to alerts.
• Skipping Immediate Feedback: Providing feedback right after the simulation helps employees learn from their actions while the experience is still fresh.

Each simulation should add value and increase awareness, helping employees recognize phishing threats without overwhelming them.

Secure Mobile Devices with Keepnet’s SMS Phishing Simulation

Running an SMS phishing simulation with Keepnet helps your organization address mobile security risks by sending realistic, simulated SMS phishing messages to employees' devices. This trains employees to spot and avoid real smishing attacks, reducing overall vulnerability.

With 600+ customizable scenarios, 24+ language support, and real-time reporting on user behavior, Keepnet’s Smishing Simulator adapts to your organization’s unique needs. Regular template updates keep simulations aligned with evolving threats, allowing you to stay ahead of attackers.

Book a demo today to discover how Keepnet’s SMS Phishing Simulator can elevate mobile security for your team.