Security News > 2021 > February > How a successful phishing attack can hurt your organization
On the receiving end, a successful phishing campaign can damage an organization in more ways than one.
A report released Sunday by security provider Proofpoint looks at the impact of a phishing attack and offers tips on how to combat one.
Some 57% said their organization was hit by a successful attack last year, up from 55% in 2019.
A successful phishing attack can impact an organization in several ways.
Additional outcomes from a phishing attack included ransomware infections as cited by 47%, other malware infections by 29%, and financial loss or wire transfer fraud by 18%. Beyond email-based phishing attacks, cybercriminals like to employ other tactics.
The simulated phishing emails sent to employees by their organization used such themes as "Singapore Specialist: Coronavirus Safety Measures," "COVID-19 Hospital Visit," "FBI Warning!!! Coronavirus Scams," and "COVID-19 Infected Our Staff." In some cases, the failure rate approached 100%, meaning almost all of the employees failed to detect these as phishing scams.
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