Half of all Breaches Start with Phishing and Social Engineering



iStock-1091436276New data shows successful attacks on internal networks, cloud environments, and POS systems all are very susceptible to this common attack vector.

This should be the last thing you want to hear today – phishing emails and simple social engineering tactics are all that’s needed to gain access to your organization’s network, applications, and data. According to security vendor Trustwave in their 2020 Global Security Report, the combination of email-based phishing attacks and social engineering are nearly always the #1 attack vector in an average of 50% of incidents, up from 33% the previous year. Here’s the breakdown:

  • 64% of corporate/internal network breaches
  • 45% of breaches in the cloud
  • 75% of attacks on POS systems

To make matters worse, according to Trustwave, the median number of days between intrusion and detection is nearly 3 months (85 days) if detected externally (e.g., if data is breached, utilized, and tracked back to the breach) and still 8.5 days if detected internally by security solutions.

According to the report, the absence of users participating in identify and stopping malicious emails by not engaging with them is a big part of the problem:

“It is clear the human component of security, with the rank and file being aware of social engineering tactics, and how to combat them, is lagging.”

To address this issue, organizations need to employ continual Security Awareness Training that educates users on the prevalence of phishing campaigns, the tactics used in social engineering scams, and the importance of their role in organizational security.


Free Phishing Security Test

Would your users fall for convincing phishing attacks? Take the first step now and find out before bad actors do. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with phishing Industry Benchmarks. The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget.

PST ResultsHere's how it works:

  • Immediately start your test for up to 100 users (no need to talk to anyone)
  • Select from 20+ languages and customize the phishing test template based on your environment
  • Choose the landing page your users see after they click
  • Show users which red flags they missed, or a 404 page
  • Get a PDF emailed to you in 24 hours with your Phish-prone % and charts to share with management
  • See how your organization compares to others in your industry

Go Phishing Now!

PS: Don't like to click on redirected buttons? Cut & Paste this link in your browser:

https://www.knowbe4.com/phishing-security-test-offer



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