Security News > 2021 > December > How likely are employees to fall prey to a phishing attack?

22% of employees are likely to expose their organization to the risk of cyber attack via a successful phishing attempt, a Phished report reveals.

Analysis of the broad and diverse data set reveals how vulnerable the average employee is to phishing attacks and offers insight into key trends, including which topics lead to the most successful phishing attacks and which message formats are most likely to trick employees.

The data shows that of employees who open a phishing message, 53% are likely to click a malicious link contained within it.

"Although these figures already point to a systematic problem among the working population, perhaps most concerning is the fact that no less than 7% of all employees open a suspicious email attachment. While phishing - usually - requires an extra step before the real damage is done, a malicious attachment can have serious consequences immediately," said Arnout Van de Meulebroucke, CEO of Phished.

The report, which analysed simulation data from both private and public sector organizations, found that employees in the public sector are 3% more likely than those in private sector organizations to fall victim of a successful phishing attempt.

"The task for the coming year is clear: organizations must focus explicitly on awareness among their employees. In recent years, the volume of phishing attacks has increased exponentially and without a radical countermovement, these campaigns will continue to claim more victims, resulting in major losses for organizations. A one-off workshop does not help against phishing. People need thorough, repeated training to help them recognise increasingly sophisticated phishing messages," concludes Van de Meulebroucke.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/12/20/employees-phishing-attack/