An IT security drill went off the tracks in Belgium, prompting a regional government office to apologize to European high-speed train operator Thalys for involving it without warning.Belgium’s Flemish regional government sent a mock phishing email to about 20,000 of its employees to see how they would react.The email purported to be a booking confirmation from Thalys for a trip from Brussels to Paris, including a stay in a fancy hotel. The cost—almost €20,000 (about US$22,000)—would be charged to the recipient’s credit card unless the person cancelled within three days, the email said. To cancel the trip, the email instructed recipients to send their credit card information to Thalys, Belgian media reported. Rather than hand over such information, though, government employees started calling Thalys to complain, to the bewilderment of its staff: The government had neglected to inform Thalys of the drill and nobody in the company’s call center knew what was going on. Some government employees also reported the matter to the police.Frank Geets, the Flemish government’s administrator-general for facility management, said the government went a bit off the rails by not informing Thalys of the drill. “We made the mail as realistic as possible and used Thalys’ logo. But actually, we did not have their permission to do so,” Geets told Flemish news channel VTM, adding that the government has apologized to Thalys for “being a bit overzealous.”While phishing attacks against staff are a perennial problem for large organizations, training to defend against them needs to be done with care and forethought. The Flemish government is not the first to discover this: An anti-phishing exercise by a U.S. Army commander went farcically wrong last year. Related content feature Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates: Keeping up with the latest fixes Here's a look at the most recent Patch Tuesday release from Microsoft as well as a collection of recent updates so you can track what's changed. By Dan Muse Aug 16, 2024 5 mins Microsoft Microsoft Office Windows 10 opinion For August, Patch Tuesday means patch now Microsoft’s monthly update for August includes fixes for six — yes, six — zero-day flaws affecting Windows and Office. By Greg Lambert Aug 16, 2024 10 mins Microsoft Microsoft Office Windows Security opinion Germany’s BSI guns for better tech security Microsoft will need to become secure by design, but if you can't wait there's an alternative. By Jonny Evans Aug 16, 2024 5 mins Apple Windows Security news MIT delivers database containing 700+ risks associated with AI Called the AI Risk Repository, the goal, its creators say, is to provide an accessible and updatable overview of risk landscape. By Paul Barker Aug 15, 2024 1 min Generative AI Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe