Threat actors are launching increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks at MSPs, often aided by AI. Recent research reveals a sharp rise in phishing attacks targeting MSPs. More general social engineering attacks are also growing.
This trend points to a need for staff to be fully aware and prepared to protect the business from network infiltration. Decision-makers at MSPs should consider implementing phishing security training into their day-to-day operations, so staff is ready to deal with such threats as they evolve.
This need not add work at the expense of resources. Partnering with a unified backup solution can seamlessly bring security awareness capabilities into the company.
In fact, phishing security training, offered as a service with integrated cybersecurity, brings many benefits to MSPs.
Evolving Phishing Tactics
MSPs need the right resources across the whole organization to stay ahead of evolving methods deployed by phishing threat actors. Cybercriminals are finding new ways to make emails and other communications look authentic. This tricks recipients if proper measures aren’t in place. As workplace network endpoints change, so, too, do malicious activities.
Phishing campaigns are scaling to target more potential victims simultaneously. With the help of large language models (LLMs), messages can be adapted to suit a tone that appears authentic. By mimicking email formats and the writing style of CEOs, high-profile staff, or external companies, recipients can easily be deceived if caution is not exercised.
Meanwhile, traffic from otherwise legitimate websites is being redirected to malicious sites. These are designed to provide backdoors into the company network, facilitating infiltration and theft of sensitive data. From cloned portals requesting login credentials to invisible malware layered over legitimate links, there are many scenarios where manual review alone is insufficient.
Addressing Skills Gaps
The capability to hack into company networks and steal information has become democratized beyond threat actors with advanced technical skills. That’s why all employees need to recognize signs of phishing attempts and know how to respond. Not everyone will have the instincts to detect and prevent threats on their own.
James Griffin
Traditionally, business leaders and security teams provided workshops and checklists, requiring employees to spend hours away from their core responsibilities. This often led to a standstill in operations, strain on workloads, and reduced productivity.
While regular security training initiatives are vital, manual methods are time-consuming. They rarely reflect real-world scenarios and rely too heavily on memory and presumed knowledge.
To combat evolving phishing threats, MSPs need immersive and automated training tools to use on-demand — not yearly, monthly, or even weekly. These programs should include realistic simulations that accurately distinguish fraudulent messages, links, and websites from legitimate ones.
Ensure Seamless Training Implementation
MSPs must be ready to rise to phishing threats from the ground up. This is key to balancing resilience with minimal disruption and optimal productivity.
Immersive phishing simulations can help individuals recognize telltale signs of threats and learn how to mitigate them. From here, MSPs can standardize defense mechanisms that keep up with evolving phishing attack techniques.
Simulated phishing places users in a safe sandbox environment where they can practice identifying and mitigating threats before they cause real damage. Underpinned by AI, these programs generate and distribute pseudo-phishing messages to staff. They will be more prepared to stay alert and confidently neutralize risks early on.
Cloud-based training can also be tailored to the types of phishing attacks specific staff or departments are likely to face. For example, business email compromise (BEC), which accounts for financial losses in one-fifth of companies globally, can be simulated for the C-suite. Users are then encouraged to report threats or quizzed on likely outcomes, with responses logged and corrected where necessary.
Leverage Platform-based Capabilities
When combined with broader security awareness initiatives, simulated phishing training can help minimize the damaging outcomes of human error. This includes social engineering manipulation and configuration mistakes. Partnering with the right unified cybersecurity platform allows MSPs to roll out these training capabilities as a service across the organization.
By launching pre-configured campaigns and out-of-the-box simulations, MSPs can immediately educate their workforces on the latest phishing security best practices. Automated test emails can be made authentic-looking and scalable, as well as personalized to specific teams and individuals. Cloud-native architecture not only hosts simulated phishing but also automates the collection of insights that security teams can use to identify knowledge gaps.
With administrators monitoring this in real time, simulations can be refined to better suit each employee. Manual, one-size-fits-all security training is no longer effective against frequent and highly realistic phishing attacks.
MSPs should invest in a security platform that immerses employees in real-world threat scenarios, closes knowledge gaps, and strengthens resilience, all while minimizing day-to-day disruption to operations.
James Griffin is CEO of CyberSentriq, a unified cybersecurity and data resilience platform purpose-built for MSPs.
Featured image: Philip Steury — stock.adobe.com
