Security News > 2022 > February > People working in IT related roles equally susceptible to phishing attempts as the general population

The study, which included 82,402 participants, tested how employees from four different organizations responded to emails that simulated one of four commonly used phishing tactics.

According to Matthew Connor, F-Secure Service Delivery Manager and lead author of the report, the study's most notable finding was that people working in 'technical' roles seemed equally or even more susceptible to phishing attempts than the general population.

"Post-study surveys found that these personnel were more aware of previous phishing attempts than others, so we know this is a real threat. The fact that they click as often or more often than others, even with their level of awareness, highlights a significant challenge in the fight against phishing."

Out of the two organizations studied with personnel working in IT or DevOps, both clicked test emails at rates that were either equal to or higher than other departments in their organizations: 26% from DevOps and 24% from IT compared to 25% for one organization, and 30% from DevOps and 21% from IT compared to 11% for the other organization.

The study found that these departments were no better at reporting phishing attempts than others.

According to F-Secure Director of Consulting Riaan Naude, the patterns in report and click rates identified by the study highlights a practical opportunity for organizations to mobilize employees in a collective effort to protect themselves against phishing.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/03/phishing-emails-clicks/