Training course

Overview

Phishing Identification and Email Security is a professional cybersecurity awareness and information security training course designed to equip employees, managers, and business professionals with the practical knowledge required to identify, evaluate, report, and respond appropriately to phishing and email-based cyber threats. The course focuses on the human and technical aspects of secure email communication, helping participants recognize deceptive messages before they result in credential theft, financial loss, malware infection, data exposure, or unauthorized access to organizational systems.

Phishing remains one of the most common methods used by cybercriminals to manipulate employees into revealing sensitive information or performing unauthorized actions. Participants will learn how phishing attacks work, how attackers exploit urgency, authority, fear, curiosity, and trust, and how to distinguish legitimate business communication from suspicious messages. The training covers phishing, spear-phishing, business email compromise, executive impersonation, credential harvesting, malicious attachments, deceptive links, QR-code phishing, smishing, and other related social engineering techniques.

Effective email security requires more than simply recognizing suspicious messages. Participants will learn practical verification procedures, secure email handling practices, reporting protocols, authentication concepts, password protection, multi-factor authentication, safe attachment handling, link inspection, data protection, and incident response fundamentals. The course incorporates recognized cybersecurity practices and frameworks, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST security awareness principles, CIS Controls, ISO/IEC 27001 information security principles, and relevant email authentication concepts such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Phishing Identification and Email Security is particularly valuable for organizations seeking to reduce human-related cyber risk and strengthen their security culture. Through realistic phishing simulations, case studies, email analysis exercises, role plays, incident-reporting scenarios, and practical assessments, participants will develop the confidence to stop suspicious communications before they become security incidents. The program progresses from foundational phishing awareness to advanced threat recognition, secure email behavior, organizational reporting, incident response, and continuous improvement of corporate email security awareness.

Course Duration

5 Days (40 Hours)

Target Participants

This course is suitable for:

• Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
• Managing Directors
• Directors and Senior Executives
• General Managers
• Department Heads
• Managers and Supervisors
• Team Leaders
• Information Technology Professionals
• Information Security Professionals
• Human Resource Professionals
• Finance and Accounting Professionals
• Procurement and Supply Chain Professionals
• Sales and Marketing Professionals
• Customer Service Professionals
• Administrative and Operations Professionals
• Legal and Compliance Professionals
• Risk Management Professionals
• Government and Public Sector Professionals
• NGO and Development Professionals
• Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
• All Employees Who Use Corporate Email or Digital Communication Platforms

Course Objectives

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamentals of phishing and email-based cybersecurity threats.
• Identify common phishing attack techniques and warning signs.
• Distinguish phishing, spear-phishing, whaling, smishing, and business email compromise.
• Recognize suspicious senders, domains, links, attachments, and requests.
• Identify social engineering techniques used in fraudulent emails.
• Safely evaluate suspicious email messages before taking action.
• Apply secure procedures for opening attachments and accessing links.
• Understand credential harvesting and account takeover risks.
• Apply strong password and multi-factor authentication practices.
• Understand the role of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in email security.
• Recognize executive impersonation and financial fraud attempts.
• Identify malicious attachments, URLs, and common indicators of compromise.
• Apply secure email communication and information-handling practices.
• Understand how phishing can lead to ransomware, malware, and data breaches.
• Respond appropriately when a phishing email has been opened or interacted with.
• Report suspected phishing incidents through appropriate organizational channels.
• Understand the fundamentals of incident response and escalation.
• Apply recognized cybersecurity frameworks and email security best practices.
• Participate effectively in phishing simulations and awareness exercises.
• Develop a personal and organizational phishing-risk reduction action plan.

Course Content

Day 1: Foundations of Phishing and Email Security

Module 1: Understanding Phishing, Email Threats, and Human Risk

Topics

1.      Introduction to Phishing Identification and Email Security

2.      Understanding Phishing and Its Role in Cybercrime

3.      Common Types of Phishing Attacks

4.      Spear-Phishing, Whaling, and Targeted Email Attacks

5.      Business Email Compromise and Executive Impersonation

6.      How Attackers Exploit Human Psychology

7.      Common Phishing Warning Signs and Red Flags

8.      Understanding Email Spoofing and Sender Identity

9.      Introduction to NIST Cybersecurity Awareness Principles and CIS Controls

10.  Practical Exercise: Identifying Genuine and Suspicious Email Messages

Day 2: Detecting Malicious Links, Attachments, and Social Engineering

Module 2: Analyzing Suspicious Email Content

Topics

1.      Identifying Suspicious Senders and Email Addresses

2.      Detecting Look-Alike Domains and Typosquatting

3.      Understanding Malicious URLs and Deceptive Links

4.      Safe Link Inspection and Verification Techniques

5.      Identifying Malicious Attachments and File Types

6.      Malware Delivery Through Email

7.      Recognizing Credential-Harvesting Pages

8.      Psychological Triggers in Social Engineering Messages

9.      QR-Code Phishing and Emerging Email-Based Threats

10.  Simulation Exercise: Analyzing a Multi-Stage Phishing Campaign

Day 3: Secure Email Practices and Technical Email Protection

Module 3: Strengthening Individual and Organizational Email Security

Topics

1.      Secure Corporate Email Practices

2.      Password Security and Credential Protection

3.      Multi-Factor Authentication for Email Accounts

4.      Account Takeover and Credential-Stuffing Risks

5.      Introduction to SPF Email Authentication

6.      Understanding DKIM and Email Integrity

7.      Understanding DMARC and Domain Protection

8.      Secure Email Configuration and Access Principles

9.      Protecting Sensitive Information During Email Communication

10.  Practical Exercise: Conducting an Email Security Risk Assessment

Day 4: Phishing Response, Reporting, and Incident Management

Module 4: Responding to Phishing and Email Security Incidents

Topics

1.      Recognizing When a Phishing Email Has Been Opened

2.      Immediate Actions After Clicking a Suspicious Link

3.      Responding to Credential Submission and Account Compromise

4.      Handling Suspicious Attachments and Malware Exposure

5.      Reporting Phishing Incidents and Suspicious Emails

6.      Incident Escalation and Internal Communication

7.      Introduction to the Incident Response Lifecycle

8.      Preserving Relevant Information for Security Investigation

9.      Phishing, Ransomware, and Business Disruption

10.  Tabletop Exercise: Responding to a Successful Corporate Phishing Attack

Day 5: Advanced Phishing Awareness and Security Culture

Module 5: Advanced Application, Simulation, and Continuous Improvement

Topics

1.      Advanced Business Email Compromise Scenarios

2.      Detecting Sophisticated Spear-Phishing Campaigns

3.      Identifying Multi-Channel Social Engineering Attacks

4.      Phishing Risks in Remote and Hybrid Work Environments

5.      Third-Party, Vendor, and Supply Chain Email Fraud

6.      Designing Effective Phishing Awareness and Simulation Programs

7.      Measuring Employee Phishing Risk and Security Awareness

8.      Integrated Case Study: Managing a Targeted Executive Phishing Campaign

9.      Final Practical Assessment: Phishing Identification, Verification, and Incident Reporting Simulation

10.  Course Review, Personal Development Plan, and 90-Day Email Security Improvement Action Plan