Using smart groups for computer-based security awareness training systems
View Patent ↗This disclosure describes embodiments of an improvement to the static group solution because all the administrator needs to do is specify the criteria they care about. Unlike static groups, where the administrator needs to keep track of the status of individual users and move them between static groups as their status changes, smart groups allows for automatic identification of the relevant users at the moment that action needs to be taken. This feature automates user management for the purposes of enrollment in either phishing and training campaigns. Because the smart group membership is determined as the group is about to be used for something, the smart group membership is always accurate and never outdated. The query that determines the smart group membership gets run at the time when you are about to do a campaign or perform some other action that needs to know the membership of the smart group.
1. A method comprising:
establishing, by one or more processors responsive to one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) being called, a second group comprising a first group of users of a plurality of users and criteria for identifying a second one or more users from the plurality of users, the second group configured to resolve members of the second group based at least on the second one or more users matching the criteria responsive to executing the second group;
executing, by the one or more processors responsive to the one or more APIs being called, the second group by querying information about the plurality of users to identify which of the second one or more users of the plurality of users match the criteria of the second group, the second group comprising the first group of users and the second one or more users identified as a result of executing the second group; and
using, by the one or more processors responsive to the one or more APIs being called, for a simulated phishing training as members of the second group the one or more users of the first group and the second one or more users identified as the result of executing the second group.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing, by the one or more processors, the first group by an administrative user identifying the users to be included in the first group.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing, by the one or more processors, the first group to be configured to resolve members of the first group based at least on the users matching a second criteria of the first group responsive to executing the first group.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating, by the one or more processors, one of the first group of users or the second group of users responsive to an application programming interface being called.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using, by the one or more processors, at least one user identified as a member of the second group to one of communicate one of a simulated phishing communication, a report or electronic-based training.
6. A method comprising:
establishing, by the one or more processors responsive to one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) being called, a second group comprising a first group of users of a plurality of users and criteria for identifying a second one or more users from the plurality of users, the second group configured to resolve members based at least on the second one or more users matching the criteria responsive to executing the second group;
executing, by the one or more processors responsive to the one or more APIs being called, the second group by querying information about the plurality of users to identify which of the second one or more users of the plurality of users match the criteria of the second group; and
using, by the one or more processors responsive to the one or more APIs being called, for a simulated phishing training as members of the second group, the one or more users of the first group that match the criteria of the second group along with the second one or more users identified as a result of executing the second group.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising establishing, by the one or more processors, the first group of users by an administrative user identifying the users to be included in the first group.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising establishing, by the one or more processors, the first group to be configured to resolve members of the first group based at least on the users matching a second criteria of the first group responsive to executing the first group.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising updating, by the one or more processors, one of the first group of users or the second group of users responsive to an application programming interface being called.
10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising using, by the one or more processors, at least one user identified as a member of the second group to one of communicate a simulated phishing communication, a report or electronic-based training.
11. A system comprising:
one or more processors, coupled to physical memory and configured to:
establish, responsive to the one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) being called, a second group comprising a first group of users of a plurality of users and criteria for identifying a second one or more users from the plurality of users, wherein the second group is configured to resolve members based at least on the second one or more users matching the criteria responsive to executing the second group;
execute, responsive to the one or more APIs being called, the second group by querying information about the plurality of users to identify which of the second one or more users of the plurality of users match the criteria of the second group; and
use, responsive to the one or more APIs being called, as members of the second group, the one or more users of the first group that match the criteria of the second group along with the second one or more users identified as a result of executing the second group.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to establish the first group of users by an administrative user identifying the users to be included in the first group.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to establish the first group to be configured to resolve members of the first group based at least on the users matching a second criteria of the first group responsive to executing the first group.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to update one of the first group of users or the second group of users responsive to an application programming interface being called.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to use at least one user identified as a member of the second group to one of communicate a simulated phishing communication, a report or electronic-based training.