7.30 AM
I get out of bed (after hitting the snoose button a couple of times), get ready for work, and make the most important meal of the day: coffee!
8.15 AM
It's time to walk to the train station.
8.45 AM
When I arrive at the office, I check my emails and calendar and prioritise my tasks for the day in my planner. As I am usually working on a couple of different projects concurrently, my current rotation is phishing email simulation. In this area, I assist state and local government agencies, with oversight from my supervisor, in creating, running, and reporting phishing simulations. The duration of the process depends on the scope of the customer's requirements, typically taking place over several weeks.
9.15 AM
The first meeting of the day is with a new customer interested in accessing the phishing email simulation service. In this meeting, my supervisor and I discuss their requirements and develop a high-level plan. The plan will be documented at the conclusion of the meeting.
10.30 AM
It's time to go down to the local café for a coffee with the other graduates in the different rotations of the Cyber Security Unit. This is a good opportunity to catch up informally and hear about their experiences working in the other rotations.
10.40 AM
Based on the information provided by the customer in the earlier meeting, I begin researching topics to incorporate into the phishing emails, considering what would be relevant to the customer's audience. I also research different techniques to make the simulated phishing emails more believable and trustworthy to the customer's unsuspecting users. Using this research, I develop several phishing email options for the customer to choose from for the simulation.
12.00 PM
It's lunchtime! I usually bring my lunch from home and eat in the lunchroom. If I have some time after eating, I take a walk outside to get some fresh air.
12.30 PM
Back to work! I have received an email from a different customer granting approval to start their phishing email simulation. Before sending out the emails to their users, I double-check the information entered into the simulation and update our documentation to reflect the customer's approval. I then initiate the phishing email simulation and notify the customer.
1.00 PM
This afternoon, I have a meeting with another customer to showcase the different phishing email options I have developed for them. We discuss which option they would like to use in their phishing simulation and any changes they would like to make to the chosen option. After the meeting, I document the outcome and work on implementing any discussed changes.
3.30 PM
I have just finished running a phishing simulation with a different customer. Once the data has been collected, I analyse it to write a report for the customer. The report details findings such as the number of people who fell for the phishing in the simulation and provides recommendations for next steps, whether that be continuing with phishing email simulations or providing email awareness training to the customer's users. This report is sent to my supervisor for approval before being shared with the customer. After the customer has had the opportunity to review the report, I schedule another meeting to discuss their preferred course of action.
5.00
PM It's time to head home.
5.30 PM
After getting home, I go for a run.
7.00 PM
I refer to the meal planner to decide what to make for dinner.
9.30 PM
It's time to go to bed.
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