Modern-day email inboxes are increasingly under siege from phishing and social engineering attacks. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, creating highly convincing emails designed to trick users into clicking and revealing sensitive information. One of the biggest challenges for schools and organizations is educating end users to recognize these threats and avoid falling victim to them.
Traditionally, many schools have relied on no-notice fake email phishing tests, using the shock-collar approach to punish users who fall for fake phishing campaigns. While this method may reduce bad behaviors in the short term, it fails to address the root cause of the problem: lack of knowledge or education. Fortunately, there is a much better way. A more effective approach mirrors the structure of an educator’s classroom—positive reinforcement that teaches users what to look for and why it’s important.
CyberHoot’s phishing simulations use this positive reinforcement approach, which has proven to be highly effective across school districts worldwide. Let’s explore why CyberHoot’s approach works better than outdated fake email attack methods.
Why Phishing is Still a Threat
Phishing continues to be one of the leading causes of data breaches. Hackers exploit human error to steal login credentials, personal information, and financial details. Techniques like domain spoofing, URL shorteners, and fake vendor logos and invoices create a false sense of legitimacy, making it harder for users to spot malicious links and attacks.
How to Spot Phishing Attacks:
- Hover Over Links: Always hover over a link before clicking to see the actual URL. Check if the domain matches the supposed source. For example, “paypa1.com” instead of “paypal.com.”
- Watch for Misspellings: Phishers often use subtle misspellings or character swaps in domain names. A link might look like “micros0ft.com” instead of “microsoft.com.”
- Be Wary of Urgency and Emotionality: hackers and security pros both know people make more mistakes reacting to things. Respond slowly to urgent and emotional appeals; you might be under attack.
- Avoid URL Shorteners: URL shorteners hide the true destination of a link. Be cautious with shortened links, especially in unsolicited messages. Example: bit.ly, tinyurl.com, or short.io
- Watch for Odd Subdomains: Pay attention to URLs with strange subdomains, such as “login.microsoft.com.attacker.com,” which can be an attempt to mimic legitimate sites.
- Attachments can be Very Bad: the only safe attachment today might be a text file or in limited cases a PDF. Never click on executable files (.exe), javascript files (.js), macro-enabled files (.docm), batch files (.bat), or anything other than .txt and .pdf. If a pdf shows a URL or prompts for credentials, delete that one too – it’s also an attack.
CyberHoot’s Phishing Simulation Approach
CyberHoot revolutionizes phishing training by using a positive reinforcement approach, which has significant advantages over traditional shock-collar methods. Here’s why it works:
- Better User Experience: fully 2/3’s of users rate CyberHoot’s phishing simulations positively.
- Comprehensive Metrics: Unlike traditional testing methods that only report on users who open fake emails (~5% of users fail and click, ~45% open fake email but don’t click, leaving ~50% of users unknown), CyberHoot tests 100% of employees, providing more complete training and a better storyline on your cybersecurity defenses.
- Cost-Effective: No need to pick the perfect phishing email, create complex allow lists, or troubleshoot when things break. CyberHoot’s solution is simple, 100% automated, and scalable.
- Realistic Phishing Examples: CyberHoot uses realistic typosquatted domain names to mimic real-world hacker tactics. For example, a Netflix.com email may appear as “Netflx.com,” missing the “i.” This exactly mirrors how hackers actually try to trick users. It’s not possible with fake email phishing simulations.
- Gamification and Progression: CyberHoot’s owl-themed avatars track user progress in cyber literacy over time making the training experience engaging and rewarding. Friendly competition can lead to a culture of cyber literacy and recognition on its importance.
- Certification and Continuing Education: Users receive a certificate of completion and 15 minutes of Continuing Education Credits (CETs) for each exercise completed, adding an extra layer of value to your training program.
Conclusion:
As phishing attacks continue to grow in sophistication, especially with AI-driven improvements over the past 18 months, the risks to email security have never been higher. Traditional phishing simulations fall short in today’s world of realistic, well-crafted, AI enhanced, attacks. CyberHoot’s HootPhish (patent-pending) solution offers a modern, positive-reinforcement, and educational approach that better reflects real-world threats. By implementing such a solution at your district, you will improve cyber literacy, reduce the risk of falling victim to phishing scams, and create better trained, more resilient, happier teachers and administrators.
CyberHoot will be at NCCE 2025!
Securing Schools: Cyber Threats and Smart Defenses
Friday, February 28, 1:00 pm–1:15 pm
Seattle Convention Center – 615
Craig Taylor (Presenter)
CEO | Co-Founder
Craig Taylor, CISSP, is the co-founder of CyberHoot, a cybersecurity training company focused on teaching cyber literacy to SMBs, MSPs, and educators. With 25 years of experience, Craig integrates his background in psychology and positive reinforcement techniques to build effective cyber literacy programs. His approach helps learners develop secure digital habits. A Toastmaster, Rotarian, and cancer research fundraiser, Craig has raised $125k for Dana Farber cancer research through the Pan Mass Challenge.