Camden County rolls out "Human Firewall" phishing simulations; intern reports measurable improvements

County IT staff introduced the Human Firewall Project and an intern, Sofia Harless, presented results from three phishing‑simulation campaigns sent to about 260 employees between late May and June. "I'm Sofia Harless. I'm an intern with the county's IT department," she said before describing the campaigns, which tested spoofing, impersonation, and incentive‑based messages to measure click and report rates.

Harless reported that the campaigns identified vulnerabilities — for example, a high click rate for messages spoofing third‑party services — and that targeted follow‑up training reduced click rates. She summarized results, saying custom training made employees "74% less likely to click and 2.3% more likely to report the emails as phishing." Presenters recommended continuing realistic, varied phishing tests and expanding reporting‑focused training, plus targeted education for employees that the simulations showed to be most vulnerable. Commissioners asked whether any commissioners clicked test links; Harless said she did not tabulate commissioner clicks. The board thanked the presenter and invited further development of the program.