LATEST INTELLIGENCE
PHISHING CONFESSIONS FROM SECURITY PROFESSIONALS
We asked 102 security professionals 11 questions about phishing. The topics covered the gamut: personal experience with phishing, developments making the problem worse, challenges in tackling it, approaches to phishing defence, and more. Some data on survey respondents.
Organisation size
Here’ s what security professionals told Cofense about phishing and how they combat the threat.
Professional roles
Multiple Responses Allowed
• 200 employees or fewer – 22 %
• 200-1,000 employees – 24 %
• 1,000-5,000 employees – 17 %
• More than 5,000 employees – 37 %
• 52 % were in IT Security
• 41 % were in Security Operations
• 18 % were in Incident Response
Here’ s what security professionals told Cofense about phishing and how they combat the threat.
80 % know someone victimised by phishing.
This tracks with findings from other sources. The Anti-Phishing Working Group( APWG) reports that phishing attacks are growing by 65 % annually. The average phishing attack costs a mid-sized company $ 1.6 million and, according to the FBI, Business Email Compromise( BEC) cost global businesses over $ 5 billion from 2013 to 2016. If you know someone tricked by a phishing email, you’ ve got lots of company. If you don’ t, you’ re in the minority. At least for now …
50 % who know a phishing victim say they’ re co-workers.
To phishing attackers, employees are irresistible targets. It’ s easy to trick busy, distracted human beings into activating malware or wiring corporate funds. Yet when phishing emails slip by tech defences like email gateways— and it happens all the time, even with“ next-gen email security platforms”— users are your last layer of defence. That’ s why thousands of organisations train with phishing simulations. Everyone’ s a target. Not all become a victim. •
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