An email sent to employees of Chicago-based Tribune Publishing, parent company of the Chicago Tribune, told recipients that they would receive $5,000 to $10,000 in bonus payments, "as a direct result of the success created by the ongoing efforts to cut our costs." (Adam Jones, Ph.D. via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

A simulated phishing email that used the false promise of company bonuses as a lure to trick employees has ignited a debate over the ethics of security awareness testing that potentially engender distrust and hard feelings.

On the one hand, simulations should mimic real-life phishing campaigns as closely as possible, security awareness experts argue. On the other hand, an insensitive training exercise can place your company in bad standing with employees.

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Topics:

Email Security Phishing