Your Staff Keep Clicking Phishing Emails

Why 'Just Be Careful' Doesn't Work

Phishing attacks exploit human psychology - urgency, authority, curiosity, fear. When an email appears to come from your CEO asking for an urgent bank transfer, or from Microsoft saying your account will be locked, people respond emotionally before thinking critically. Training helps, but it's not enough on its own.

The Layered Approach That Actually Works

1. Technical controls first - Stop as many phishing emails as possible from ever reaching inboxes. We configure Microsoft 365 email security, anti-spoofing records, and advanced threat protection to filter out the bulk of attacks automatically.

1. Multi-Factor Authentication** - The single most important control. Even when credentials are stolen, MFA blocks the attacker. Combined with Conditional Access policies, we ensure logins are only accepted from trusted devices and locations.

1. Ongoing simulation and training - Not a one-off awareness session, but regular, realistic phishing simulations that keep awareness high. When someone clicks a simulated phish, they see an immediate, educational explanation - building habits without humiliation.

1. Application Control** - Even if someone downloads a malicious file, application control prevents it from executing. This is your last line of defence and stops ransomware from running even after a successful phish.

Building a Reporting Culture

The most important thing your team can do is report suspicious emails quickly. We set up a one-click 'Report Phishing' button in Outlook. Staff know that reporting - even if it turns out to be legitimate - is always the right call. Quick reporting lets us contain incidents before they spread.

What About Business Email Compromise?

Phishing isn't just about malware. Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks trick staff into making bank transfers, changing supplier payment details, or sharing confidential data. These attacks bypass technical controls because they don't contain malicious links or attachments - they rely purely on social engineering. Training and verification procedures are the only defence.