G DATA Phishing Simulation

As images from external links can also be loaded into emails, the automatic download of images should be switched off in every e-mail client for security reasons. In most e-mail programs (e.g. in Outlook) this is already preset.

Some users, especially those who receive images frequently for work-related reasons, may find this additional overhead too much. They may then come up with the idea of switching this automatic download on again. You should check before the campaign whether this has been done in your company!

Our servers for the phishing simulation campaigns cannot distinguish whether the image was downloaded automatically or manually by the user.

If, after the campaign ends, you notice in the report that a large number of phishing emails were opened, it may be because this blocking feature was not enabled. This should always be checked before the campaign begins.