Methods and systems for implementing a phishing assessment

1. A method for implementing a phishing campaign that tests for computer security vulnerabilities in a target computer network, the method comprising:

at a phishing assessment computer that automatically configures and/or generates one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign including:

automatically generating a pseudo domain name and a pseudo web page using target entity data, wherein the target entity data includes one or more of a name of a target entity and a legitimate web page associated with the target entity;

automatically selecting a plurality of target users of the target computer network as targets of the phishing campaign;

using one or more of the pseudo domain name and the pseudo web page to generate one or more phishing attack communications;

configuring one or more phishing communication vectors for the phishing campaign to transmit the one or more phishing attack communications;

setting a predetermined drip schedule that implements the phishing campaign over a predetermined period and that transmits the one or more phishing attack communications to different subsets of the plurality of target users during different times during the predetermined period:

transmitting the one or more phishing attack communications, via the one or more phishing communication vectors, to the different subsets of the plurality of target users according to the predetermined drip schedule;

collecting target user activity data, wherein the target user activity data includes data describing interactions of the one or more target users with the one or more phishing attack communications;

identifying at-risk target users based on the collected target user activity data, wherein the at-risk target users include a set of the plurality of target users that succumbed to the one or more phishing attack communications;

generating a phishing risk analysis of the target computer network based on the collected target user activity data;

and wherein the configuring and/or generating the one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign includes:

configuring at least two of the one or more phishing communication vectors to work in concert, wherein a first of the at least two phishing communication vectors includes a message that directs a target user to interact with a phishing attack communication message of a second of the at least two phishing communication vectors.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein further at the phishing assessment platform:

collecting response data obtained via the pseudo web page, wherein the response data comprises user credentials of one or more of the plurality of target users.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the one or more test parameters for the phishing campaign further includes:

identifying target devices operating on or having access to the target computer network as attack mediums of the phishing campaign; and

wherein the one or more communication vectors comprise the identified target devices, wherein the one or more phishing attack communications transmitted to the identified target devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

at the phishing assessment computer:

verifying authorization of an administrator for implementing the phishing campaign, wherein the verifying authorization includes:

(i) identifying one or more profiles associated with the administrator to verify credentials of the administrator;

(ii) comparing profile data obtained from the one or more profiles associated with the administrator to a predetermined specification list for authorized administrators; and

(iii) approving the administrator if the retrieved data sufficiently corresponds to elements within the predetermined specification list.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

at the phishing assessment computer:

verifying authorization of an administrator for implementing the phishing campaign, wherein the verifying authorization of the administrator is performed on a per-domain basis or for a set of Internet protocol (IP) addresses, such that for each domain or set of IP addresses separate verification of authorization of the administrator is required.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

at the phishing assessment computer:

verifying authorization for implementing the phishing campaign, wherein when the phishing campaign is autonomously implemented by a server or a computer associated with the phishing assessment computer, verifying that the server or the computer has proper permissions and access rights to one or more devices operating on the target network which are subjects of the phishing campaign.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

at the phishing assessment computer:

verifying authorization of an administrator for implementing the phishing campaign, wherein the verifying authorization includes testing the administrator to determine whether the administrator has the management and/or access rights to perform a modification to one or more components of the target compute network.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generated pseudo domain name is a look-alike domain name with respect to the legitimate target domain name, such that when the pseudo domain name is compared to the legitimate target domain name, there are visual similarities between the pseudo domain name and the legitimate target domain name.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein generating the one or more test parameters for the phishing assessment further includes:

configuring the phishing campaign as a multi-vector phishing campaign that includes transmitting the phishing attack communications to the target computer network or the one or more target users via at least a first communication vector and a second communication vector, wherein the first and second communication vectors are different.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generated pseudo domain name is generated according to a selection of one or of a combination of domain name transformation processes including a homoglyph transformation process, a TLD alternation/modification process, generic or service-specific prefix/suffix augmentation process, character repositioning and spacing, character transposition process, and character deletion process.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

implementing a phishing assessment interface that presents real-time activity information, wherein the real-time activity information indicates one or more activities performed by the one or more target users that received a phishing attack communication, the phishing attack communication comprising a reference to one or more of the generated pseudo domain name and the pseudo web page.

12. The System of claim 1 , wherein the configuring and/or generating the one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign includes:

confirming a grant of authorization to implement the phishing campaign against target computer network.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the phishing assessment computer operates to:

perform event tracking that tracks a target user's interaction with the one or more phishing attack communications based at least on the target user's use of a cursor to interact with the one or more phishing attack communications.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to phishing risk analysis of the target computer network, modifying computer security policy thereby reducing computer security vulnerabilities of the target computer network.

15. A system that implements a phishing campaign that tests for computer security vulnerabilities in a target computer network, the system includes:

a phishing assessment computer that automatically configures and/or generates one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign including:

automatically generating a pseudo domain name and a pseudo web page using target entity data, wherein the target entity data includes one or more of a name of a target entity and a legitimate web page associated with the target entity;

automatically selecting a plurality of target users of the target computer network as targets of the phishing campaign;

using one or more of the pseudo domain name and the pseudo web page to generate one or more phishing attack communications;

configuring one or more phishing communication vectors for the phishing campaign to transmit the one or more phishing attack communications;

setting a predetermined drip schedule that implements the phishing campaign over a predetermined period and that transmits the one or more phishing attack communications to different subsets of the plurality of target users during different times during the predetermined period:

transmitting the one or more phishing attack communications, via the one or more phishing communication vectors, to the different subsets of the plurality of target users according to the predetermined drip schedule;

collecting target user activity data, wherein the target user activity data includes data describing interactions of the one or more target users with the one or more phishing attack communications;

identifying at-risk target users based on the collected target user activity data, wherein the at-risk target users include a set of the plurality of target users that succumbed to the one or more phishing attack communications;

generating a phishing risk analysis of the target computer network based on the collected target user activity data;

and wherein the configuring and/or generating the one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign includes:

configuring at least two of the one or more phishing communication vectors to work in concert, wherein a first of the at least two phishing communication vectors includes a message that directs a target user to interact with a phishing attack communication message of a second of the at least two phishing communication vectors.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein performing the phishing attack includes:

identifying one or more communication vectors associated with the target computer network or the one or more target users associated with the target computer network;

generating a phishing attack communication message, the phishing attack communication message comprising a reference to one or more of the generated pseudo domain name and the pseudo web page; and

transmitting the phishing attack communication message, via the identified one or more communication channels, to the target computer network or the one or more target users associated with the target computer network.

17. A system according to claim 16 , further comprising:

a phishing assessment interface, wherein the phishing assessment interface comprises one or more output components that present activity tracking information relating to activities of the one or more target users receiving the phishing attack communication message, wherein the activity tracking information comprises data associated with the one or more target users' interactions with the phishing attack communication message.

18. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors, performs:

automatically generating a pseudo domain name and a pseudo web page using target entity data, wherein the target entity data includes one or more of a name of a target entity and a legitimate web page associated with the target entity;

automatically selecting a plurality of target users of the target computer network as targets of the phishing campaign;

using one or more of the pseudo domain name and the pseudo web page to generate one or more phishing attack communications;

configuring one or more phishing communication vectors for the phishing campaign to transmit the one or more phishing attack communications;

setting a predetermined drip schedule that implements the phishing campaign over a predetermined period and that transmits the one or more phishing attack communications to different subsets of the plurality of target users during different times during the predetermined period;

transmitting the one or more phishing attack communications, via the one or more phishing communication vectors, to the different subsets of the plurality of target users according to the predetermined drip schedule;

collecting target user activity data, wherein the target user activity data includes data describing interactions of the one or more target users with the one or more phishing attack communications;

identifying at-risk target users based on the collected target user activity data, wherein the at-risk target users include a set of the plurality of target users that succumbed to the one or more phishing attack communications;

generating a phishing risk analysis of the target computer network based on the collected target user activity data;

and wherein the configuring and/or generating the one or more test parameters of the phishing campaign includes:

configuring at least two of the one or more phishing communication vectors to work in concert, wherein a first of the at least two phishing communication vectors includes a message that directs a target user to interact with a phishing attack communication message of a second of the at least two phishing communication vectors.