Quick Answer: Simulated phishing exercises send realistic fake phishing emails to employees without warning to measure actual susceptibility. eShield IT Services runs managed phishing simulations using PhishSkill (phishskill.com) and KnowBe4, with UAE-specific Arabic and English templates. Organisations reduce phishing click rates by 60–80% within 12 months. Programmes generate ISO 27001 and NESA audit evidence automatically.
Simulated phishing exercises send realistic, controlled phishing emails to employees without prior warning to measure actual susceptibility — not self-reported awareness. eShield IT Services runs managed phishing simulations for UAE businesses using PhishSkill and KnowBe4 platforms, with UAE-specific Arabic and English templates. Organisations typically reduce phishing click rates by 60–80% within 12 months of a structured programme.
What Is a Simulated Phishing Exercise?
A simulated phishing exercise is a controlled security test in which an organisation’s security team — or a managed security provider like eShield — sends realistic fake phishing emails to employees to measure how many click, enter credentials, or report the email. The simulation uses the same techniques as real attackers but does so safely, within a controlled environment, with the organisation’s authorisation.
The primary goals are:
- Measure real susceptibility — not what employees think they would do, but what they actually do when faced with a convincing phishing email
- Identify high-risk individuals and departments for targeted training
- Drive behaviour change through just-in-time remediation training triggered immediately after a failed click
- Generate compliance evidence for ISO 27001, NESA IAS, CBUAE, and PCI DSS auditors
- Measure programme effectiveness over time — baseline vs current susceptibility rate
Why UAE Businesses Need Phishing Simulation in 2026
Phishing remains the #1 attack vector against UAE organisations. In 2025, UAE companies received an average of 4,200 weekly cyberattacks — the majority initiating via email. Key UAE-specific phishing threats include:
| Phishing Lure Type | Impersonated Entity | Target Employee Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Bank account alert / OTP request | Emirates NBD, FAB, ADIB, Mashreq | All employees — personal banking |
| Government portal login | MOHRE, RTA, DEWA, FAHR | HR, finance, operations teams |
| Package delivery notification | DHL, Aramex, FedEx UAE | All employees |
| IT helpdesk / password reset | Internal IT / Microsoft / Google | All employees — credential theft |
| CEO / CFO urgent wire transfer | Internal executive impersonation | Finance, accounts payable |
| HR payroll / salary update | Internal HR impersonation | All employees |
| Vendor invoice with changed bank details | Known supplier impersonation | Finance, procurement |
| WhatsApp Business verification | WhatsApp / Meta Business | Marketing, sales, customer service |
PhishSkill — eShield’s UAE Phishing Simulation Platform Partner
eShield IT Services is an authorised partner of PhishSkill — a dedicated phishing simulation and security awareness platform optimised for UAE and regional deployments. PhishSkill is eShield’s primary platform recommendation for UAE SMEs and mid-market organisations running phishing simulation programmes.
Why eShield recommends PhishSkill for UAE phishing simulations:
- UAE-localised template library: Arabic and English phishing scenarios built around actual UAE threat lures — bank alerts, government portals, HR fraud, and executive impersonation emails that match what real attackers are sending to UAE inboxes today
- Rapid deployment: PhishSkill campaigns can be live within 48 hours — no lengthy onboarding or procurement cycle
- Automated campaign scheduling: Set quarterly or monthly phishing campaigns on a rolling schedule — fully automated delivery and measurement
- Just-in-time training integration: Employees who click are immediately shown why the email was suspicious and enrolled in a targeted micro-training module
- Risk scoring by department: Identify which teams (finance, HR, operations) represent the highest phishing risk to your organisation
- Compliance-ready exports: ISO 27001 A.6.3, NESA IAS-05, and CBUAE audit evidence generated automatically from campaign results
- Cost-effective for UAE SMEs: PhishSkill’s pricing structure is accessible for organisations from 20 to 500+ employees without enterprise-level budgets
KnowBe4 — Enterprise Phishing Simulation at Scale
For UAE enterprise clients, eShield also deploys and manages KnowBe4 — the world’s largest security awareness and simulated phishing platform with over 65,000 customers globally. KnowBe4 offers:
- 10,000+ phishing email templates including current-event-based lures and industry-specific scenarios
- Vishing (phone phishing) simulations — automated voice calls to test social engineering susceptibility
- Smishing (SMS phishing) simulations — mobile-based phishing for BYOD environments
- USB drive test — physical security test for employees who might plug in unknown USB drives
- PhishER — automated phishing response platform for employees who report suspicious emails
- Advanced phishing analytics — cohort comparison, industry benchmarking, and risk scoring
Phishing Simulation Results — What to Expect
Industry benchmarks for organisations running regular phishing simulations with eShield’s managed programme:
| Timeline | Average Phish-Prone Percentage (PPP) | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline (Month 1 — no prior training) | 30–35% | Industry average before any security awareness programme |
| After 3 months (training + simulations) | 18–22% | First phishing campaign + 3 monthly e-learning modules |
| After 6 months | 10–14% | Consistent monthly simulations + remediation training for clickers |
| After 12 months | 5–8% | Monthly simulations + spear phishing + security culture embedding |
| Mature programme (2+ years) | 2–4% | Culture change — employees actively report phishing attempts |
KnowBe4 global research across 12.5 million users shows that organisations running consistent phishing simulations reduce their Phish-Prone Percentage from 34.3% (baseline) to 4.6% after 12 months. UAE organisations typically start with slightly higher baseline rates due to the volume of sophisticated Arabic-language lures in circulation.
Phishing Simulation Pricing — UAE 2026
| Service | Platform | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| One-off phishing baseline assessment (up to 200 users) | PhishSkill | 5,000 – 12,000 |
| Quarterly phishing simulation programme (up to 200 users) | PhishSkill | 12,000 – 25,000/year |
| Monthly phishing + awareness programme (up to 200 users) | PhishSkill + modules | 20,000 – 45,000/year |
| Enterprise phishing + full awareness (200–500 users) | KnowBe4 | 50,000 – 120,000/year |
| Spear phishing simulation campaign | KnowBe4 / PhishSkill | 8,000 – 20,000 per campaign |
| Vishing (phone phishing) simulation | KnowBe4 | 10,000 – 25,000 per campaign |
→ See our full service: Information Security Awareness Training — Managed ISAT & Phishing Simulations UAE
FAQs — Simulated Phishing Exercises UAE
Is it legal to run phishing simulations on employees in the UAE?
Yes, simulated phishing exercises are entirely legal in the UAE when authorised by organisational management. UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on cybercrime applies to malicious attacks — not authorised, internal security testing. All eShield phishing simulations are conducted under a signed engagement authorisation. We recommend informing your legal and HR teams in advance about the programme purpose (even if individual campaign details remain confidential to employees).
Should we tell employees we are running phishing simulations?
Best practice is to communicate that the organisation runs periodic phishing tests as part of its security programme — without announcing specific campaign dates or templates. This creates the right psychological environment: employees know testing happens and they are expected to stay vigilant, but they cannot rely on being warned in advance. This approach is aligned with ISO 27001 and NESA requirements and mirrors real-world attacker behaviour.
How often should phishing simulations be run?
Monthly simulations produce the fastest susceptibility reduction. Quarterly is the minimum for maintaining awareness — annual-only testing shows minimal behavioural change. For compliance purposes (NESA IAS, CBUAE), documented evidence of phishing testing should be available for auditors. eShield’s standard managed programme runs monthly simulations with varying template types to prevent employees learning to recognise a specific phishing style.
→ Related: Managed ISAT Service UAE | Cyber Security Awareness UAE 2026 | Email Security Solutions UAE
