Cyber Security Incident Response And Simulated Phishing Attacks

When a cyber incident hits, minutes matter. Most breaches still start the same way: a single phishing email, a rushed click, and a chain of events that can cost time, money, and trust.

At AGR Technology, we can help organizations prepare for that moment before it happens. Our cyber security incident response services and simulated phishing attacks work together to reduce risk, sharpen your response, and turn your people into a real security asset.

On this page, we’ll walk through how incident response and phishing simulations fit together, what a well‑run program looks like, and how we can help you build a practical, repeatable approach that actually works in your environment.

Need help bolstering your digital defenses? Contact AGR Technology to see how we can help

The Link Between Incident Response And Phishing Attacks

Phishing is still one of the most common ways attackers get into networks. You can have solid tools and policies, but if your team isn’t ready for a convincing email or SMS, your incident response plan will be tested sooner than you’d like.

Simulated phishing attacks along with security awareness training give you a safe way to test both your human defenses and your incident response capability, without the damage of a real breach.

Common Phishing Threats That Trigger Incidents

We regularly see incidents start from:

• Credential harvesting emails – fake Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, banking, or VPN pages designed to steal usernames and passwords.
• Malicious attachments – invoices, resumes, shipping notices carrying macros, malware, or links to exploit kits.
• Business email compromise (BEC) – attackers impersonating executives, suppliers, or finance staff to request invoice payments or banking changes.
• Spear phishing – highly targeted messages using real names, roles, or projects to get a specific person to act.
• Smishing and vishing – SMS and voice calls that support an email scam or try to bypass email filters altogether.

Each of these can trigger different types of incidents, from unauthorized mailbox access and ransomware to stolen funds and data exfiltration. A strong cyber security incident response plan should explicitly cover these scenarios.

Where Simulated Phishing Fits In The Security Lifecycle

We don’t see simulated phishing as a one‑off “test”. It should be part of your normal security lifecycle:

• Assess – identify how staff currently respond to phishing, where they struggle, and how fast incidents are raised.
• Train – use targeted education after simulations to build real skills, not blame.
• Test – run regular phishing simulations and tabletop exercises alongside incident response drills.
• Improve – feed results back into your incident response plan, playbooks, and technical controls through security awareness training.

When we run simulated phishing for clients, we align it with their broader incident response capability, so we’re not just counting clicks, we’re improving how the whole organization detects, reports, and responds.

Core Principles Of Cyber Security Incident Response

An incident response plan is only useful if it’s clear, tested, and understood by the people who need to use it. Our role at AGR Technology is to help you build something that works on a real Monday morning, not just on paper.

Incident Response Phases: Preparation Through Lessons Learned

We structure incident response around proven phases that many frameworks share (such as SOC, Essential Eight & ISO 27001):

1. Preparation

Policies, tools, contacts, playbooks, and training. This is where simulated phishing and awareness programs sit.
2. Identification

Detecting that something is wrong: suspicious emails, login alerts, unusual behavior, or user reports.
3. Containment

Limiting the damage, isolating accounts, systems, or networks while keeping the business running where possible.
4. Eradication

Removing malware, closing vulnerabilities, revoking access, and making sure the attacker is out.
5. Recovery

Bringing systems back online safely, monitoring closely, and communicating with stakeholders.
6. Lessons learned

Reviewing what happened, what worked, what didn’t, and updating playbooks, training, and controls.

Our cyber security specialists can help you define or refine each phase, then stress‑test them using realistic phishing simulations and scenario exercises.

Key Roles, Responsibilities, And Communication Channels

During a live incident, confusion costs time. We work with you to define:

• Incident commander / coordinator – who owns decision‑making and prioritization.
• Technical response team – security, IT, or external partners handling containment and recovery.
• Business owners – HR, legal, finance, or operations as needed.
• Communications – who talks to staff, customers, suppliers, and, if needed, regulators.

We also help you document clear communication channels:

• How staff report suspected phishing (e.g., a “Report Phish” button or dedicated email).
• How the security team triages and escalates.
• When to involve executives, boards, or external incident response support.

If your team doesn’t have the in‑house capability or capacity, AGR Technology can act as your incident response partner, on call when something suspicious or serious appears.

Using Simulated Phishing To Strengthen Incident Preparedness

Well‑designed phishing simulations give you more than a click‑through rate: they provide real data to improve incident preparedness and security culture.

Defining Objectives For Simulated Phishing Campaigns

Before sending a single email, we’re clear on what we’re testing. Common objectives include:

• User behavior – who clicks, who enters credentials, who reports, and how quickly.
• Process effectiveness – whether your reporting and escalation process works under pressure.
• Tool coverage – how email filters, EDR, SIEM, and other tools detect and flag the simulation.
• Training needs – which teams or roles need specific education or follow‑up support.

We work with you to set realistic KPIs, such as increased reporting rates, reduced time‑to‑report, and lower repeat offender rates over time.

Aligning Simulated Attacks With Realistic Threat Scenarios

Generic “you’ve won a voucher” emails aren’t enough. To add value, we align simulations with:

• The platforms you actually use (Microsoft 365, Google, VPN portals, core business apps).
• The roles most often targeted (finance, HR, executives, IT admins, project leads).
• The attack types relevant to your industry (BEC, invoice fraud, credential theft, data theft).

This makes each campaign more meaningful and ensures that improvements in your phishing resilience translate to real‑world risk reduction.

If you’d like help planning a program like this, we can design and run phishing simulations end‑to‑end, or work alongside your internal cyber team.

Designing And Running A Simulated Phishing Attack

Every organization is different, so we tailor each simulated phishing engagement to your size, structure, and risk profile.

Planning The Campaign And Selecting Targets

We start with a short discovery phase:

• Understand your business, systems, and recent security issues.
• Review any existing incident response plan and awareness training.
• Agree on scope and targeting – entire organization, selected departments, or high‑risk roles.
• Define how we’ll measure success and how results will be shared.

We’re transparent about the process with leadership and HR from the outset, so there are no surprises and staff are treated fairly.

Crafting Realistic Phishing Lures And Landing Pages

Next, we design the phishing content itself:

• Email templates that mirror common real‑world attacks (password resets, document shares, payment approvals).
• Branding and tone that look plausible but avoid misusing third‑party trademarks in a way that breaches policy or law.
• Landing pages that replicate login screens or forms, capturing only the minimum data required to measure behavior.

We always follow ethical guidelines. We don’t collect actual passwords, and we minimize personal data in line with privacy expectations and relevant regulations.

Executing The Simulation And Monitoring Responses

When it’s time to run the campaign, we:

• Schedule sends to avoid major business disruptions.
• Closely monitor delivery, open, click, submission, and report rates.
• Watch how quickly suspected phishing emails are escalated to your security or IT team.

If we detect patterns that indicate serious gaps, such as widespread credential entry, we’ll let you know promptly so you can address underlying issues, even though it’s a safe test.

Want to see how this would look in your environment? We can walk you through a sample campaign and typical reporting during a short consult.

Incident Response Actions During And After A Simulation

Phishing simulations are an ideal time to practice incident response procedures in a low‑risk setting. We often treat a planned campaign as a live exercise for your IR team.

Detecting, Escalating, And Containing Phishing Incidents

During the simulation, we focus on how quickly and effectively:

• Users recognize suspicious emails and report them.
• Your security or IT team triages reports and identifies patterns.
• Incidents are escalated to the right people based on severity.
• Containment actions are triggered (e.g., blocking senders, removing emails from mailboxes, forcing logouts, or resetting credentials).

We compare the real response against your documented playbooks and service level targets, then highlight where procedures or tooling need adjustment.

Post‑Simulation Triage, Forensics, And Evidence Handling

Even in a simulation, it’s important to treat the exercise like a real event:

• Triage: group related reports and decide which ones need deeper investigation.
• Forensics: review logs, email headers, and endpoint alerts to see how the simulated attack moved through your environment.
• Evidence handling: capture artefacts in a structured way for future reference and training.

Our team can guide your analysts through this process or perform it for you, then document findings in a clear, non‑technical summary for leadership.

Translating Simulation Outcomes Into Training And Playbooks

The real value comes from what happens next. After each campaign, we help you:

• Update incident response playbooks for phishing, BEC, and account compromise.
• Tailor security awareness training to specific behaviors we observed.
• Adjust technical controls (e.g., MFA policies, conditional access, email security rules).

We provide practical recommendations, not just numbers, so you know exactly what to change and why. If you want ongoing support, we can run a regular cadence of simulations and IR reviews to keep your readiness current.

Measuring Effectiveness And Continuously Improving

A one‑off campaign might be interesting, but it won’t transform your security posture. We focus on measurable improvement over time.

Key Metrics For Simulated Phishing And Incident Response

We track metrics that show both human and process maturity, such as:

• Click rate – the percentage of users who engage with the phishing email.
• Credential submission rate – the percentage who would have given away details.
• Report rate – the percentage who correctly report the email.
• Time‑to‑report – how long it takes from delivery to first report.
• Time‑to‑triage and contain – how quickly your IR team acts once alerted.
• Repeat offender trends – whether the same people are falling for multiple simulations.

This gives you a clear view of risk and progress and helps justify investment in cyber security to leadership and boards.

Building A Feedback Loop Between Users, IR Team, And Leadership

We help you set up a simple feedback loop:

• Staff receive targeted, respectful follow‑up training after simulations.
• The incident response team refines playbooks based on real behaviors.
• Leadership receives concise, meaningful reports focused on risk reduction and readiness.

Over time, this builds a culture where people feel safe to report mistakes quickly, rather than hiding them, something that makes a big difference in real incidents.

If you’d like, AGR Technology can supply regular reports and briefings that translate technical outcomes into business language for your executives and board.

Ethical, Legal, And Cultural Considerations

Poorly handled phishing simulations can damage trust. We design every engagement to support your people, not embarrass them.

Avoiding Shame‑Based Approaches And Maintaining Trust

Our approach is simple:

• No public naming and shaming.
• No “gotcha” tactics using highly sensitive topics.
• Clear messaging that simulations are about learning and protection, not punishment.

We encourage organizations to use coaching and training for those who struggle, rather than disciplinary action for a first‑time mistake.

Policy, Compliance, And Privacy Implications Of Simulations

We work within your existing policies and legal obligations. That includes:

• Aligning with internal security and HR policies.
• Respecting privacy laws relevant to your location and industry.
• Minimizing personal data collected during simulations.
• Ensuring any third‑party tools or platforms adhere to appropriate security standards.

If you don’t yet have clear policies around phishing simulations and incident response, we can help you draft practical guidance that supports both compliance and culture.

Conclusion

Phishing isn’t going away. But with a strong cyber security incident response capability and well‑planned simulated phishing attacks, you can reduce the impact, respond faster, and build real resilience across your organization.

At AGR Technology, we combine hands‑on incident response experience with practical phishing simulation programs. We focus on clear processes, measurable improvement, and respectful engagement with your people.

If you’d like support to:

• Develop or refine your incident response plan
• Design and run realistic simulated phishing campaigns
• Measure and improve your phishing resilience over time

we’re ready to help.

Next step: Get in touch with our team to discuss your current situation and goals. We’ll walk you through how our cyber security incident response and simulated phishing services can fit your environment and budget, and outline a straightforward plan to lift your security posture.

Cyber Security Incident Response & Simulated Phishing – FAQs

What is cyber security incident response and how does it relate to phishing attacks?

Cyber security incident response is the structured process an organization follows to detect, contain, eradicate, and recover from security incidents. Because many breaches start with phishing, a strong incident response plan must explicitly cover phishing, BEC, credential theft, and account compromise scenarios, including how they’re detected, escalated, and contained.

How does a simulated phishing attack help improve our incident response capability?

A simulated phishing attack safely tests both your people and your processes. It measures who clicks, who reports, and how quickly your IT or security team triages and contains the incident. The results feed directly into refining incident response playbooks, training content, and technical controls like email security and MFA.

What are the key phases of a cyber security incident response plan?

A typical cyber security incident response plan follows six phases: Preparation, Identification, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Lessons Learned. Each phase covers specific actions, from policies and tools up front, through isolating affected systems, removing threats, restoring services, and then updating playbooks, training, and controls based on what was learned.

How often should we run simulated phishing campaigns for staff?

Most organizations benefit from running simulated phishing campaigns at least quarterly, with higher‑risk industries or roles testing monthly. The goal is consistent, manageable exposure that builds awareness without causing fatigue. Frequency should align with your risk profile, regulatory expectations, and the maturity of your cyber security incident response processes.

What metrics should we track to measure phishing simulation and incident response effectiveness?

Useful metrics include click rate, credential submission rate, report rate, and time‑to‑report from users. On the incident response side, track time‑to‑triage, time‑to‑contain, and repeat offender trends. Together these show how well your people detect phishing, how fast your IR team responds, and whether risk is decreasing over time.

Further resources:

Expert Penetration Testing Services in Australia

Threat Hunting And Packet Capture (PCAP) Services

Cyber Security Services For Healthcare Companies

Cyber Security Services For Small Businesses

Cyber Security Services For Accounting Firms

Cybersecurity Readiness For Business Leaders

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