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Simulation automations for Attack simulation training

Tip

Did you know you can try the features in Microsoft Defender XDR for Office 365 Plan 2 for free? Use the 90-day Defender for Office 365 trial at the Microsoft Defender portal trials hub. Learn about who can sign up and trial terms on Try Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

In Attack simulation training in Microsoft 365 E5 or Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, simulation automations allow you to run multiple benign cyberattack simulations in your organization. Simulation automations can contain multiple social engineering techniques and payloads, and can start on an automated schedule. Creating a simulation automation is similar to creating an individual simulation, except for the ability to select multiple techniques, payloads, and the automation schedule.

For getting started information about Attack simulation training, see Get started using Attack simulation training.

To see any existing simulation automations that you created, open the Microsoft Defender portal at https://security.microsoft.com, go to Email & collaboration > Attack simulation training > Automations tab > and then select Simulation automations. To go directly to the Automations tab where you can select Simulation automations, use https://security.microsoft.com/attacksimulator?viewid=automations. You can also see automated simulations in the Simulations tab, having a prefix AutomatedSimulation_ and the automation name available under the column Created by.

The following information is shown for each simulation automation in the automation tab. You can sort the simulation automations by clicking on an available column header.

  • Name campaign
  • Status: Active, Inactive, or Draft.
  • Next launch time
  • Last modified
  • Created by

Create simulation automations

Tip

For creation instructions, check out this short video: https://youtu.be/QXElYtr7ZJ0.

To create a simulation automation, do the following steps:

  1. In the Microsoft Defender portal at https://security.microsoft.com/, go to Email & collaboration > Attack simulation training > Automations tab > Simulation automations. or, to go directly to the Automations tab where you can select Simulation automations, use https://security.microsoft.com/attacksimulator?viewid=automations.

  2. On the Simulation automations page, select Create automation to start the new simulation automation wizard.

    The Create simulation button on the Simulation automations tab in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal

    The following sections describe the steps and configuration options to create a simulation automation.

    Note

    At any point after you name the simulation automation during the new simulation automation wizard, you can select Save and close to save your progress and continue later. The incomplete simulation automation has the Status value Draft. You can pick up where you left off by selecting the simulation automation from the list and then clicking the Edit automation action that appears.

Name and describe the simulation automation

On the Automation name page, configure the following settings:

  • Name: Enter a unique, descriptive name for the simulation.
  • Description: Enter an optional detailed description for the simulation.

When you're finished on the Automation name page, select Next.

Select one or more social engineering techniques

On the Select social engineering techniques page, select one or more of the available social engineering techniques, which were curated from the MITRE ATT&CK® framework. Different payloads are available for different techniques. The following social engineering techniques are available:

  • Credential Harvest: Attempts to collect credentials by taking users to a well-known looking website with input boxes to submit a username and password.
  • Malware Attachment: Adds a malicious attachment to a message. When the user opens the attachment, arbitrary code is run that helps the attacker compromise the target's device.
  • Link in Attachment: A type of credential harvest hybrid. An attacker inserts a URL into an email attachment. The URL within the attachment follows the same technique as credential harvest.
  • Link to Malware: Runs some arbitrary code from a file hosted on a well-known file sharing service. The message sent to the user contains a link to this malicious file. Opening the file helps the attacker compromise the target's device.
  • Drive-by URL: The malicious URL in the message takes the user to a familiar-looking website that silently runs and/or installs code on the user's device.
  • OAuth Consent Grant: The malicious URL asks users to grant permissions to data for a malicious Azure Application.

If you select the View details link in the description, a details flyout opens that describes the technique and the simulation steps that result from the technique.

The Details flyout for the credential harvest technique on the Select social engineering techniques page

When you're finished on the Select social engineering techniques page, select Next.

Select payloads and login pages

On the Select payloads and login page page, you need to select at least one existing payload for each social engineering technique you selected, or you can create new payloads to use.

For the Credential Harvest or Link in Attachment social engineering techniques, you can also view the login page that's used in the payload, select a different login page to use, or create a new login page to use. The selected login page will be used across the various selected payloads.

Select payloads

On the Select payloads and login page page, select one of the following options:

  • Randomize: Payloads will be selected at random from the available global and tenant payloads. There's nothing else to configure on this page, so select Next to continue.

  • Manually select: The following details are shown for each payload. Select a column header to sort by that column:

    • Payload name
    • Source: For built-in payloads, the value is Global. For custom payloads, the value is Tenant.
    • Technique: You need to select at least one payload per technique that you selected on the Select social engineering techniques page.
    • Language: The language of the payload content. Microsoft's payload catalog (global) provides payloads in 29+ languages.
    • Predicted compromise rate (%): Historical data across Microsoft 365 that predicts the percentage of people who will be compromised by this payload (users compromised / total number of users who receive the payload). For more information, see Predicted compromise rate.

    Use the Search box to search for the name of an existing payload.

    If you select a payload from the list by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box next to the name, details about the payload are shown in a flyout:

    • The Overview tab (named Payload in Credential Harvest and Link in Attachment payloads) contains details about the payload, include a preview.
    • The Login page tab is available only for Credential Harvest or Link in Attachment payloads and is described in the Select login pages subsection.
    • The Attachment tab is available only for Malware Attachment, Link in Attachment, and Oauth Consent Grant payloads. This tab contains details about the attachment, including a preview.
    • The Simulations launched tab contains the Simulation name, Click rate, Compromised rate, and Action.

    Tip

    To see details about other payloads without leaving the details flyout, use Previous item and Next item at the top of the flyout.

    Leave the payload details flyout open to change the login page or create a new login page to use as described in the following subsections.

    Or, if you're finished in the payload details flyout, select Close to return to the Select payloads and login page page, verify one or more of the required payloads are selected and then select Next to continue.

    The Payload tab in the payload details flyout in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal

Select login pages

Note

The Login page tab is available only in the details flyout of Credential Harvest or Link in Attachment payloads.

On the Select payload and login page page, select the Credential Harvest or Link in Attachment payload from the list by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box next to the name to open the details flyout for the payload.

In the details flyout of the payload, the Login page tab shows the login page that's currently selected for the payload.

To view the complete login page, use the Page 1 and Page 2 links at the bottom of the page for two-page login pages.

The login page tab in the payload details flyout in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal

Use one of the following procedures to change the login page that's used in the payload or to create a new login page to use in the flyout:

  • Change the login page that's used in the payload: Select Change login page on the Login page tab of the payload details flyout.

    On the Select login page flyout that opens, The following information is shown for each login page:

    • Name
    • Language
    • Source: For built-in login pages, the value is Global. For custom login pages, the value is Tenant.
    • Created by: For built-in login pages, the value is Microsoft. For custom login pages, the value is the UPN of the user who created the login page.
    • Last modified
    • Actions: Select Preview to preview the login page.

    Use the Search box to find a login page in the list by typing part of the login name, and then pressing the ENTER key.

    Select Filter to filter the login pages by Source or Language.

    When you're finished in the Filter flyout, select Apply. To clear the filters, select Clear filters.

    The Select login page flyout from the Login page tab in payload details flyout in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal.

    On the Select login page flyout, select the check box next to the name of the login page to use, and then select Save. Back on the Login page tab of the payload details flyout, select Close to return to the Select payloads and login page page.

  • Create a new login page to use in the payload: Select Change login page on the Login page tab of the payload details flyout.

    On the Select login page flyout that opens, select Create new.

    The creation steps are the same as at Attack simulation training > Content library tab > Login pages > Tenant login pages tab. For instructions, see Create login pages.

    Back on the Select login page flyout, select the check box next to the name of the login page to use, and then select Save. Back on the Login page tab of the payload details flyout, select Close to return to the Select payloads and login page page.

On the Select payloads and login page page, verify the payloads that you configured and/or want to use are selected.

When you're finished on the Select a payload and login page page, select Next.

Configure OAuth Payload

Note

This page is available only if you selected OAuth Consent Grant on the Select social engineering techniques page and a corresponding payload.

On the Configure OAuth payload page, configure the following settings:

  • App name: Enter a name for the payload.
  • App logo: Select Browse to select a .png, .jpeg, or .gif file to use. To remove a file after you selected it, select Remove.
  • Select app scope: Choose one of the following values:
    • Read user calendars
    • Read user contacts
    • Read user mail
    • Read all chat messages
    • Read all files that user can access
    • Read and write access to user mail
    • Send mail as a user

When you're finished on the Configure OAuth payload page, select Next.

Target users

On the Target users page, select who receives the simulation. Use the following options to select users:

  • Include all users in your organization: Include all users in your organization: The unmodifiable list of users is shown in groups of 10. You can use Next and Previous below the list of users to scroll through the list. You can also use Search on the page to find specific users.

  • Include only specific users and groups: At first, no users or groups are shown on the Targeted users page. To add users or groups to the simulation, choose one of the following options:

    • Add users: In the Add users flyout that opens, you find and select users and groups to receive the simulation. The following group types are supported:

      • Microsoft 365 Groups (static and dynamic)
      • Distribution groups (static only)
      • Mail-enabled Security groups (static only)

      The following search tools are available:

      • Search for users or groups: If you click in the Search box and do one of the following actions, the Filter users by categories options on the Add users flyout are replaced by a User list section:

        • Type three or more characters and then press the ENTER key. Any users or group names that contain those characters are shown in the User list section by Name and Email.
        • Type less than three characters or no characters and then press the ENTER key. No users are shown in the User list section, but you can type three or more characters in the Search box to search for users and groups.

        The number of results appears in the Selected (0/x) users label.

        Note

        Selecting Add filters clears and replaces any results the User list section with Filter users by categories.

        When you have a list of users or groups in the User list section, select some or all of the results by selecting the check box next to the Name column. The number of selected results appears in the Selected (y/x) users label.

        Select Add x users to add the selected users or groups on the Target users page and to return to the Target users page.

      • Filter users by categories: Use the following options:

        • Suggested user groups: Select from the following values:

          • All suggested user groups: The same result as selecting Users not targeted by a simulation in the last three months and Repeat offenders.
          • Users not targeted by a simulation in the last three months
          • Repeat offenders: For more information, see Configure the repeat offender threshold.

        • User tags: User tags are identifiers for specific groups of users (for example, Priority accounts). For more information, see User tags in Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Use the following options:

          • Search: In Search by user tags, you can type part of the user tag name and then press Enter. You can select some or all of the results.
          • Select All user tags
          • Select existing user tags. If the link is available, select See all user tags to see the complete list of available tags.

        • City: Use the following options:

          • Search: In Search by City, you can type part of the City value and then press Enter. You can select some or all of the results.
          • Select All City
          • Select existing City values. If the link is available, select See all Cities to see the complete list of available City values.

        • Country: Use the following options:

          • Search: In Search by Country, you can type part of the Country value and then press Enter. You can select some or all of the results.
          • Select All Country
          • Select existing City values. If the link is available, select See all Countries to see the complete list of available Country values.

        • Department: Use the following options:

          • Search: In Search by Department, you can type part the Department value and then press Enter. You can select some or all of the results.
          • Select All Department
          • Select existing Department values. If the link is available, select See all Departments to see the complete list of available Department values.

        • Title: Use the following options:

          • Search: In Search by Title, you can type part of the Title value and then press Enter. You can select some or all of the results.
          • Select All Title
          • Select existing Title values. If the link is available, select See all Titles to see the complete list of available Title values.

        The User filtering on the Target users page in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal.

        You can use some or all of the search categories to find users and groups. If you select multiple categories, the AND operator is used. Any users or groups must match both values to be returned in the results (which is virtually impossible if you use the value All in multiple categories).

        The number of values that were used as the search criteria by a specific category is shown next to the category tile (for example, City 50 or Priority accounts 10).

        When you're finished searching by category, select the Apply(x) button. The previous Filter users by categories options on the Add users flyout are replaced by the following information:

        • Filters section: Show how many filter values you used and the names of the filter values. If it's available, select the See all link to see all filter values
        • User list section: Shows the users or groups that match your category searches. The number of results appears in the Selected (0/x) users label.

        When you have a list of users or groups in the User list section, select some or all of the results by selecting the check box next to the Name column. The number of selected results appears in the Selected (y/x) users label.

        Select the Add x users button to add the selected users or groups on the Target users page and to return to the Target users page.

    • Import: In the dialog that opens, specify a CSV file that contains one email address per line.

      After you find a select the CSV file, the users are imported and shown on the Targeted users page.

    On the main Target users page, you can use the Search box to find selected users. You can also select Delete and then Confirm in the confirmation dialog to remove specific users.

    To add more users and groups, select Add users or Import on the Target users page and repeat the previous steps.

When you're finished on the Target users page, select Next.

Assign training

On the Assign training page, you can assign trainings for the simulation. We recommend that you assign training for each simulation, as employees who go through training are less susceptible to similar attacks.

Use the following options on the page to assign trainings as part of the simulation:

  • Preferences section: In Select training content preference, choose one of the following options in the dropdown list:

    • Microsoft training experience (Recommended): This is the default value. This value has the following associated options to configure on the page:

      • Select one of the following values:
        • Assign training for me (Recommended): This is the default value. We assign training based on a user's previous simulation and training results.
        • Select training courses and modules myself: If you select this value, the next step in the wizard is Training assignment where you find and select trainings. The steps are described in the Training assignment subsection.
      • Due date section: In Select a training due date, choose one of the following values:
        • 30 days after simulation ends (this is the default value)
        • 15 days after simulation ends
        • 7 days after simulation ends

    • Redirect to a custom URL: This value has the following associated options to configure on the page:

      • Custom training URL (required)
      • Custom training name (required)
      • Custom training description
      • Custom training duration (in minutes): The default value is 0, which means there's no specified duration for the training.
      • Due date section: In Select a training due date, choose one of the following values:
        • 30 days after simulation ends (this is the default value)
        • 15 days after simulation ends
        • 7 days after simulation ends

    • No training: If you select this value, the only option on the page is Next.

When you're finished on the Assign training page, select Next.

Training assignment

Note

This page is available only if you selected Select training courses and modules myself on the Assign training page.

On the Training assignment page, select the trainings that you want to add to the simulation by selecting Add trainings.

In the Add training flyout that opens, use the following tabs to select trainings to include in the simulation:

  • Recommended tab: Shows the recommended built-in trainings based on the simulation configuration. These trainings are the same trainings that would have been assigned if you selected Assign training for me (Recommended) on the previous page.
  • All trainings tab: Shows all built-in trainings that are available.

The option to add the recommended training on the Training assignment page in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal

On either tab, the following information is shown for each training:

  • Training name
  • Source: The value is Global.
  • Duration (mins)
  • Preview: Select Preview to see the training.

On either tab, you can use the Search box to find trainings. Type part of the training name and press the ENTER key.

On either tab, select one or more trainings by selecting the check box next to the training name. To select all trainings, select the check box in the Training name column header. When you're finished, select Add.

Back on the Training assignment page, the selected trainings are now listed. The following information is shown for each training:

  • Training name
  • Source
  • Duration (mins)
  • Assign to: For each training, select who gets the training by selecting from the following values:
    • All users
    • One or both of the values Clicked payload or Compromised.
  • Delete: Select Delete to remove the training from the simulation.

The Training assignment page in Attack simulation training in the Microsoft Defender portal

When you're finished on the Training assignment page, select Next.

Select a landing page

On the Select phish landing page page, configure the web page that users are taken to if they open the payload in the simulation.

Select one of the following options:

  • Use landing pages from library: The following options are available:

    • Payload indicators section: Select Add payload indicators to email to help users learn how do identify phishing email.
      • This setting isn't available if you selected Malware Attachment or Link to Malware on the Select one or more techniques page.
      • For landing pages that you create on the Tenant landing pages tab, this setting is meaningful only if you use the Dynamic tag named Insert Payload content in the landing page content as described in the Create landing pages subsection.
    • Show the interstitial page before the landing page: This setting is available only if you selected Drive-by URL on the Select one or more techniques page. You can show the overlay that comes up for drive-by URL attacks. To hide the overlay and go directly to the landing page, don't select this option.

    The remainder of the Selecting phish landing page page has two tabs where you select the landing page to use:

    • Global landing pages tab: Contains the built-in landing pages. When you select a built-in landing page to use by selecting the check box next to name, an Edit layout section appears with the following options:

      • Add logo: Select Browse logo image to find and select a .png, .jpeg, or .gif file. The logo size should be a maximum of 210 x 70 to avoid distortion. To remove the logo, select Remove uploaded logo image.
      • Select default language: This setting is required. Select one of the following values: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Dutch, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, **Portuguese, or Russian.

    • Tenant landing pages tab: Contains any custom landing pages that you created. To create a new landing page, select Create new. The creation steps are the same as at Attack simulation training > Content library tab > Phish landing pages > Tenant landing pages tab. For instructions, see Create landing pages.

    On both tabs, the following information is shown for each landing page. You can sort the landing pages by clicking on an available column header. Select Customize columns to change the columns that are shown. The default columns are marked with an asterisk (*):

    • Name*
    • Language*: If the landing page contains multiple translations, the first two languages are shown directly. To see the remaining languages, hover over the numeric icon (for example, +10).
    • Source
    • Default language*
    • Status*
    • Linked simulations*
    • Created by
    • Created time*
    • Modified by*
    • Last modified*

    To find a landing page in the list, type part of the landing page name in the Search box and then press the ENTER key.

    Select Filter to filter the landing pages by language.

    When a landing page is selected, if you click anywhere in the row, a details flyout opens that shows more information about the landing page:

    • The Preview tab shows what the landing page looks like to users.
    • The Details tab shows the properties of the landing page.

    Tip

    To see details about other landing pages without leaving the details flyout, use Previous item and Next item at the top of the flyout.

    When you're finished in the landing page details flyout, select Close.

    On the Selecting phish landing page page, select a landing page to use by selecting the check box next to the Name column.

  • Use a custom URL: This setting isn't available if you selected Malware Attachment or Link to Malware on the Select social engineering techniques page.

    If you select Use a custom URL, you need to add the URL in the Enter the custom landing page URL box that appears. No other options are available on the Selecting phish landing page page.

When you're finished on the Selecting phish landing page page, select Next.

Select end user notifications

On the Select end user notification page, select from the following notification options:

  • Do not deliver notifications: No other configuration options are available on the page. Users don't receive Training assignment notifications, Training reminder notifications or Positive reinforcement notifications from the simulation. Select Proceed in the warning dialog.

  • Microsoft default notification (recommended): The notifications that users receive are shown on the page:

    • Microsoft default positive reinforcement notification
    • Microsoft default training assignment notification
    • Microsoft default training reminder notification

    Select the default language to use in Select default language. The available values are: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Norwegian Bokmål, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Catalan, Croatian, or Slovenian.

    For each notification, the following information is available:

    • Notifications: The name of the notification.

    • Language: If the notification contains multiple translations, the first two languages are shown directly. To see the remaining languages, hover over the numeric icon (for example, +10).

    • Type: One of the following values:

      • Positive reinforcement notification
      • Training assignment notification
      • Training reminder notification

    • Delivery preferences: You need to configure the following delivery preferences before you can continue:

      • For Microsoft default positive reinforcement notification, select Do not deliver, Deliver after campaign ends, or Deliver during campaign.
      • For Microsoft default training reminder notification, select Twice a week or Weekly.

    • Actions: If you select View, a Review notification page opens with the following information:

      • Preview tab: View the notification message as users see it.
        • To view the message in different languages, use the Select language box.
        • Use the Select payload to preview box to select the notification message for simulations that contain multiple payloads.
      • Details tab: View details about the notification:
        • Notification description
        • Source: For built-in notifications, the value is Global. For custom notifications, the value is Tenant.
        • Notification type: One of the following types based on the notification you originally selected:
          • Positive reinforcement notification
          • Training assignment notification
          • Training reminder notification
        • Modified by
        • Last modified

      When you're finished on the Review notification page, select Close to return to the Select end user notification page.

  • Customized end user notifications: No other configuration options are available on the page. When you select Next, you need to select a Training assignment notification, a Training reminder notification, and (optionally) a Positive reinforcement notification to use for the simulation as described in the next three subsections.

When you're finished on the Select end user notification page, select Next.

Select a training assignment notification

Note

This page is available only if you selected Customized end user notifications on the Select end user notifications page.

The Training assignment notification page shows the following notifications and their configured languages:

  • Microsoft default training assignment notification
  • Microsoft default training only campaign-training assignment notification
  • Any custom training assignment notifications that you previously created.

These notifications are also available at Attack simulation training > Content library tab > End user notifications:

For more information, see End-user notifications for Attack simulation training.

Do one of the following steps:

  • Select an existing notification to use:

    • To search for an existing notification in the list, type part of the notification name in the Search box and then press the ENTER key.

    • When you select a notification by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box, a details flyout opens that shows more information about the notification:

      • The Preview tab shows what the notification looks like to users.
      • The Details tab shows the properties of the notification.

      When you're finished in the notification details flyout, select Close.

    On the Training assignment notification page, select a notification to use by selecting the check box next to the name.

  • Create a new notification to use: Select Create new. The creation steps are identical to Create end-user notifications.

    Note

    On the Define details page of the new notification wizard, be sure to select the value Training assignment notification for the notification type.

    When you're finished creating the notification, you return to the Training assignment notification page where the new notification now appears in the list for you to select

When you're finished on the Training assignment notification page, select Next.

Select a training reminder notification

Note

This page is available only if you selected Customized end user notifications on the Select end user notifications page.

The Training reminder notification page shows the following notifications and their configured languages:

  • Microsoft default training reminder notification
  • Microsoft default training only campaign-training reminder notification
  • Any custom training reminder notifications that you previously created.

These notifications are also available at Attack simulation training > Content library tab > End user notifications:

For more information, see End-user notifications for Attack simulation training.

In Set frequency for reminder notification, select Weekly (the default value) or Twice a week, and then do one of the following steps:

  • Select an existing notification to use:

    • To search for an existing notification in the list, type part of the notification name in the Search box and then press the ENTER key.

    • When you select a notification by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box, a details flyout opens that shows more information about the notification:

      • The Preview tab shows what the notification looks like to users.
      • The Details tab shows the properties of the notification.

      When you're finished in the notification details flyout, select Close.

    On the Training reminder notification page, select a notification to use by selecting the check box next to the name.

  • Create a new notification to use: Select Create new. The creation steps are identical to Create end-user notifications.

    Note

    On the Define details page of the new notification wizard, be sure to select the value Training reminder notification for the notification type.

    When you're finished creating the notification, you return to the Training reminder notification page where the new notification now appears in the list for you to select.

When you're finished on the Training reminder notification page, select Next.

Select a positive reinforcement notification

Note

This page is available only if you selected Customized end user notifications on the Select end user notifications page.

You have the following options in the Delivery preferences section for positive reinforcement notifications:

  • Don't use positive reinforcement notifications: Select Do not deliver. There's nothing else to configure on the page, so you go to the simulation schedule page when you select Next.

  • Use an existing positive reinforcement notification: Select one of the remaining values:

    • Deliver after the user reports a phish and campaign ends
    • Deliver immediately after the user reports a phish.

    The following notifications and their configured languages appear on the page:

    • Microsoft default positive reinforcement notification
    • Any custom positive reinforcement notifications that you previously created.

    These notifications are also available at Attack simulation training > Content library tab > End user notifications:

    For more information, see End-user notifications for Attack simulation training.

    To search for an existing notification in the list, type part of the notification name in the Search box and then press the ENTER key.

    When you select a notification by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box, a details flyout opens that shows more information about the notification:

    • The Preview tab shows what the notification looks like to users.
    • The Details tab shows the properties of the notification.

    When you're finished in the notification details flyout, select Close.

    On the Positive reinforcement notification page, select an existing notification to use by selecting the check box next to the name.

  • Create a new positive reinforcement notification to use: Select Create new. The creation steps are identical to Create end-user notifications.

    Note

    On the Define details page of the new notification wizard, be sure to select the value Positive reinforcement notification for the notification type.

    When you're finished creating the notification, you return to the Positive reinforcement notification page where the new notification now appears in the list for you to select.

When you're finished on the Positive reinforcement notification page, select Next.

Simulation schedule

On the Simulation schedule page, select one of the following values:

  • Randomized: You still need to select the schedule on the next page, but the simulations will launch at random times within the schedule.
  • Fixed: Simulations will be launched on a given day as per the chosen schedule.

When you're finished, select Next.

Schedule details

What you see on the Schedule details page depends on whether you selected Randomized or Fixed for the simulation schedule on the previous page.

  • Randomized simulation schedule: The following settings are available:

    • Automation start section: Use Select the date you want the automation to start from to select the start date for the simulations. You can select any future date of up to a year.

    • Automation scoping section: Configure the following settings:

      • Select the days of the week that simulations are allowed to start on: Select one or more days of the week.
      • Enter the maximum number of simulations that can be started between the start and end dates: Enter a value from 1 to 10. This number will also determine the number of payloads to be used. If you choose more payloads than simulations, e.g., 12 payloads for 10 simulations, any 10 of the 12 payloads will be used. If you choose fewer payloads than simulations, e.g., 5 payloads for 8 simulations, some payloads will repeat to cover all the simulations, unless you have chosen Use unique payloads across simulations within an automation in the Launch details.
      • Randomize the time of day that simulation emails can be sent for delivery: Select Randomize send times to randomize the send times. This will stagger email delivery over a 12 hour window.

    • Automation end section: Use Select the date you want the automations to end to select the end date for the simulations. You can select any future date of upto a year.

      Tip

      Only one simulation is launched in a day, so we recommend selecting at least as many days as you'd like the simulations to run.

  • Fixed simulation schedule: The following settings are available:

    • Automation start section: Use Select the date you want the simulations to start from to select the start date for the simulations. You can select any future date of upto a year.

    • Automation recurrence section: Configure the following settings:

      • Select if you want simulations to launch weekly or monthly: Select Weekly (default) or Monthly.
      • Enter interval you want between automation runs: Enter a value from 1 to 99. For example, if you want to run simulations every week then enter 1. If you want to run alternate weeks then enter 2 and so on. Similarly, if you want to run simulations quarterly then enter 3.
      • Select the day of the week you want the simulations to start from: For weekly simulations, select the day of the week that simulations start.
      • Enter the day of the month you want the simulations to start from: For monthly simulations, enter the day in a month when simulations start. Enter a value from 1 to 31.

    • Automation end section: Select one of the following values:

      • Use Select the date you want the automation to end to select the end date for the simulations.
      • Use Enter the number of occurrences of the simulations to run before ending to enter a value from 1 to 10.

When you're finished on the Schedule details page, select Next.

Launch details

On the Launch details page, configure the following additional settings for the automation:

  • Use unique payloads across simulations within an automation section: By default, Unique payloads isn't selected. Make sure you have chosen enough payloads for the number of simulations you want to run. If you have fewer payloads than simulations you want to run, only a fraction of users will be targeted (calculated as ratio of number of payloads by the number of simulations).

  • Target all selected users in every simulation run section: By default, the target users are divided across different simulations. If you select this option, all chosen target users will be included in every simulation run. Make sure you have chosen as many payloads as the number of simulations you want to run; otherwise, the payloads will start repeating.

  • Target repeat offenders section: By default, Target repeat offenders is not selected. If you select it, use Enter the maximum number of times a user can be targeted within this automation that appears to enter a value from 1 to 10.

  • Send simulation email based upon the user's current time zone setting from Outlook web app section: By default, Enable region aware delivery isn't selected.

When you're finished on the Launch details page, select Next.

Review simulation automation

On the Review simulation automation page, you can review the details of your simulation automation.

You can select Edit in each section to modify the settings within the section. Or you can select Back or the specific page in the wizard.

When you're finished on the Review simulation automation, select Submit.

When the simulation automation is created, the page title changes to New automation created, where you can use the links to turn on the automation or view all simulation automations.

When you're finished on the New automation created page, select Done.

Back on the Simulation automations page on the Automations tab, the simulation automation that you created is now listed with the Status value Inactive.

To turn on the simulation automation, see the next section.

Turn on or turn off a simulation automation

  • You can turn on simulations automations with the Status value Inactive.
  • You can turn off simulation automations with the Status value Active.
  • You can't turn on or turn off incomplete simulation automations with the Status value Draft.

To turn on an Inactive simulation automation, select it from the list by clicking the check box next to the name. Select the Turn on action that appears, and then select Confirm in the dialog. The Status value changes to Active.

To turn off an Active simulation automation, select it from the list by clicking the check box next to the name. Select the Turn off action that appears, and then select Confirm in the dialog. The Status value changes to Inactive.

Remove simulation automations

To remove a simulation automation, select the simulation automation from the list by clicking the check box next to the name. Select the Delete action that appears, and then select Confirm in the dialog.

View simulation automation details

For simulation automations with the Status value Active or Inactive, select the simulation from the Simulation automations page by clicking anywhere in the row other than the check box next to the name. The details flyout that opens contains the following information:

  • The simulation automation name and the number of items collected.

  • General tab:

    • Type: The value is Simulation.
    • Name
    • Description
    • Run conditions sections: Select Edit to open the simulation automation wizard on the related page.

  • Run history tab: This tab is available only for simulation automations with the Status value Active or Inactive.

    Shows information about the run history of the simulation.

Tip

To see details about other simulation automations without leaving the details flyout, use Previous item and Next item at the top of the flyout.

View reports of automated simulations

You can view the simulation reports for automated campaigns in the Simulations tab. Click on the name of the simulation, having a prefix of AutomatedSimulation_ and automation name available under the column Created by. To view the report click anywhere in the simulation row other than the check box next to the name.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for simulations automations

This section contains some of the most common questions about Simulation automations.

Why does the Status value under Automations show Completed, but the Status value under Simulations show In progress?

Completed on the Simulation automations page means the job of simulation automation is complete, and no more simulations are created by it. Simulation is a separate entity that will complete after 30 days of simulation launch time.

Why is the simulation end date 30 days after creation, even though I selected an automation end date of one week?

A one week end date for the simulation automation means no new simulations are created by it after one week. For simulations created by a simulation automation, the default end date is 30 days after the creation of the simulation.

If you don't select Target all selected users in every simulation run on the Launch details page, all targeted users are distributed over the maximum number of simulations that are created by the simulation automation.

If you select Target all selected users in every simulation run on the Launch details page, all targeted users are part of every simulation that's created by the simulation automation.

How does the Randomize option on the Simulation schedule page work?

The Randomize option on the Simulation schedule page optimally selects a day within the start date and end date range to launch simulations.

How does the Randomize option on the Select a payload and login page work?

The Randomize option on the Select payloads and login pages page works as follows:

For every run, a social engineering technique from the list of selected techniques is chosen, and then a random payload for that technique will be chosen from both Global payloads (built-in) and Tenant payloads (custom). This behavior helps to ensure that the selected payload wasn't part of any previous run for this particular automation.

With a randomized schedule, the maximum number of simulations is between 1 and 10. How does this work?

This number is the maximum number of runs that can be created by this automation. For example, if you select 10, the maximum number of simulations that will be created by this automation is 10. The number of simulations can be fewer depending on the number of targeted users and the availability of payloads.

If I select only one specific day between two days (for example, Wednesday), how many simulations will I see on the Simulation tab?

If there's only one Wednesday between the start date and end date, the automation has only one valid day to send out the simulation. Even if you selected a higher value for Max number of simulations, this value gets overwritten to one.

How does randomize send times currently work?

Randomize send time works in batches of 1,000 users and is meant to be used with a large number of targeted users. If less than 1,000 users are involved in simulations created by automations, batches of 100 users are created for randomized send times.

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