Security News > 2021 > July > Companies are losing the war against phishing as attacks increase in number and sophistication

Automation company Ivanti has surveyed more than 1,000 IT professionals on the effects of phishing at their organizations, and what it has found is grim security news: 74% of companies have fallen prey to phishing in the past year, and 40% became victims in the last month alone.

In particular, Ivanti cites the COVID-19 induced shift to remote work as a major reason for increased "Onslaught, sophistication and impact of phishing attacks."

The report also cites data from Aberdeen Strategy and Research that found a higher rate of successful phishing attacks against mobile devices, which Ivanti said is "a pattern that is trending dramatically worse."

Thirty-seven percent said that a lack of technology and understanding among employees was a main cause for the increase in successful phishing attacks, and 34% directly blamed a lack of employee understanding.

Forty-six percent directly blamed staff shortages for the increase in successful phishing attacks.

IT departments may be willing to blame rank-and-file employees and those responsible for hiring for increases in phishing attacks, but they aren't without blame, either: 73% said their IT staff had been targeted by phishing attacks in the past year, and 47% said those attacks were successful.

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/companies-are-losing-the-war-against-phishing-as-attacks-increase-in-number-and-sophistication/#ftag=RSS56d97e7