Email Protection and Awareness: The Dual Defense Against Phishing

Stuttgart, Germany - September 24, 2025

Why phishing requires both smart technology and trained employees

Email remains the number one attack vector for phishing, business email compromise, and malware delivery. Organizations often rely heavily on technical solutions such as spam filters or secure mail gateways. While these tools block a large portion of malicious traffic, they are not foolproof. Attackers continually adapt, and some messages inevitably reach employees' inboxes.

This is why awareness must complement technology. AWM AwareX equips employees with phishing simulations and adaptive training that prepare them for the malicious emails that bypass filters. When employees recognize and report suspicious messages, they become an active part of the organization’s defense system.

CypSec enhances this model by embedding human risk analytics into governance. Reports from employees feed directly into enterprise risk dashboards, where incidents are correlated with technical logs. This integrated view ensures that both human and technical defenses are aligned.

Technical defenses still play a critical role. AWM AwareX's AWM Protect service strengthens email security with advanced filtering, sandboxing, and quarantine management. Malicious attachments and suspicious links are isolated before they reach end users, reducing the burden on employees.

"Phishing defense works best when people and technology reinforce each other. Neither is enough on its own," said Frederick Roth, Chief Information Security Officer at CypSec.

But since no filter is perfect, employees remain the last line of defense. Awareness training builds the reflexes to question unexpected requests, verify unusual attachments, and escalate suspicious messages quickly. This dual approach ensures resilience even when attackers evade technical barriers.

The dual defense strategy also improves compliance. Regulators increasingly expect organizations to address both technical and human aspects of phishing risk. Combining AWM AwareX awareness training with CypSec's policy-as-code governance, companies can demonstrate comprehensive, auditable phishing defenses.

From SMEs to large enterprises, embedding this dual model creates measurable improvements in resilience. Organizations reduce the number of successful phishing incidents, minimize recovery costs, and foster a stronger security culture across the workforce.

Through their partnership, AWM AwareX and CypSec help organizations move beyond single-layer solutions. Integrating email protection and employee awareness delivers a comprehensive, adaptive defense against one of the most persistent threats in cybersecurity.

About AWM AwareX: AWM AwareX provides a security awareness platform with phishing simulations, training modules, and analytics to build resilient security cultures. Its AWM Schutz service extends this with advanced email protection. For more information, visit awm-awarex.de.

About CypSec: CypSec delivers enterprise-grade risk management, governance, and active defense solutions. Together with AWM AwareX, it provides organizations with a dual-layer approach to phishing resilience. For more information, visit cypsec.de.

Media Contact: Daria Fediay, Chief Executive Officer at CypSec - daria.fediay@cypsec.de.