Taunussparkasse elevates security culture with revel8

Preparing Employees for AI-Driven Cyberattacks in the Financial Sector

As a regional financial institution with a strong focus on customer trust and regulatory compliance, Taunus Sparkasse faces a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape. While technical safeguards such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and spam filters remain essential, attackers increasingly target the human factor—especially through AI-driven phishing and impersonation attacks.

In 2024, Taunus Sparkasse observed a sharp rise in sophisticated vishing and phishing attacks, including voice-based scams and highly personalized messages designed to bypass traditional defenses.

The Challenge

Cybercriminals are no longer relying on mass attacks. Instead, they use:

• Publicly available information
• Social engineering techniques
• AI-generated voices and messages

to target employees directly. Traditional awareness measures struggled to keep up with this level of realism and speed. The security team needed a way to continuously train employees - not just once a year - and to prepare them for attack scenarios they were likely to face in their actual roles.

Why Taunus Sparkasse Chose revel8

Taunus Sparkasse partnered with revel8 to introduce realistic, continuous attack simulations tailored to the financial sector.

revel8 enabled the Sparkasse to:

• Simulate realistic phishing and vishing attacks across email and phone
• Expose employees to AI-driven scenarios, including deepfake-style voice attacks
• Deliver short, relevant mini-trainings immediately after simulations
• Adapt attack scenarios based on role and risk profile

Instead of static learning content, employees experienced replicas of real cyberattacks—in a controlled, safe environment.

Building Awareness Through Experience

A key success factor was the combination of simulations with immediate feedback. Employees learned:

• How to recognize suspicious messages and calls
• When to remain calm and avoid rushed decisions
• How and where to report incidents quickly

A clear reporting process was reinforced across all simulations. Gamified elements such as a transparent point system further increased engagement and motivation without compromising professionalism.

Measurable Impact

Within a short period after rollout, Taunus Sparkasse achieved:

• Significant increase in reported phishing and vishing attempts
• Higher employee confidence when dealing with suspicious communications
• Faster reporting times, enabling earlier response by security teams
• Sustained awareness through continuous, role-specific training

In parallel, employees gained a better understanding of modern AI-driven attack methods and how these differ from traditional scams.

Outcome

With revel8, Taunus Sparkasse transformed cybersecurity awareness into an active, ongoing process. By combining realistic attack simulations, AI-driven scenarios, and short targeted trainings, the organization strengthened its human firewall and prepared employees for the next generation of cyber threats—without disrupting daily operations.