Use cases → Email operations
Schedule and run phishing simulations using delegated Gmail API
Automate the scheduling and delivery of phishing simulation emails to users across the domain without manual coordination or risky shared access.
| Who it is for | Security teams running regular phishing awareness training campaigns. |
|---|---|
| APIs | Gmail API |
| Typical scopes | gmail.send, gmail.readonly |
The problem
Manual phishing tests are inconsistent and prone to leaks. Security teams want to automate delivery, avoid shared mail credentials, and ensure every user gets a realistic test without tipping off admins or IT.
How it works
- Maintain a list of target users and campaign templates.
- Impersonate each target user via domain-wide delegation.
- Schedule and send emails using the Gmail API as if sent by each user’s account.
- Log delivery status and responses for later reporting.
What changes
Phishing simulations can be reliably scheduled and delivered at scale, appearing authentic to recipients and without exposing real credentials.
Questions people ask
Can we use a single service account to send all simulation emails?
No—emails must be sent on behalf of each user via impersonation for realism and to avoid spam filters. This also prevents reply-to or delivery issues.
How do we confirm every simulated phish was delivered?
Query each user’s Sent mailbox after sending. Do not trust the API response alone, as quota overruns do not trigger explicit errors.
Want this built?
This is a pattern we run in production. We will set up the delegation and build this on top of it — $500 per hour, most of it working the same day.
Talk to us Or read the setup guideRelated use cases
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