IT Governance, the leading cyber security and penetration testing services provider, has released a new infographic that reveals employees are still unware of the phishing tactics cyber criminals employ despite the substantial increase in phishing attacks.
The
infographic reveals that the proportion of security incidents in 2015 that were related to staff was up from 58% to 75% for large organisations, and from 22% to 31% for small business. Moreover, 36% of adults within the UK do not know what phishing is, and 76% don’t know what ransomware is, despite the large number of unique phishing attacks since January 2016 (557,964).
Alan Calder, founder and chief executive officer of IT Governance, said: “These stats show that, despite the increase in phishing attacks, employees are still not aware of what phishing is, and consequently do not know how to avoid an attack. Organisations are encouraged to test their employees’ vulnerability to these tactics through simulated phishing attacks, and to train their employees to recognise a phishing email.”
Phishing and ransomware attacks continue to evolve and develop considerably. As a result, organisations are encouraged more than ever to prevent cyber attacks and data breaches through continual training and testing. While cyber criminals only need one employee to click a malicious link, organisations need to ensure that all their employees are 100% aware of the threats they’re exposed to daily. This is essential in order to reverse the stats suggesting that only 30% to 50% of all employees follow cyber attack prevention instructions.
Organisations that want to take action against the increasing threat of targeted phishing attacks by educating employees to be alert, vigilant and secure can enrol on IT Governance’s Phishing Staff Awareness course.
To find out more about the Phishing Staff Awareness Course, click here >>
Additionally, IT Governance’s
Simulated Phishing Attack service can help organisations target employees with a mock spear-phishing attack to test their ability to recognise an unexpected threat or cyber attack.
To book your Simulated Phishing Attack, click here >>
To find out more about IT Governance’s staff awareness products and services, please visit the
website, email
servicecentre@itgovernance.co.uk or call +44 (0)845 070 1750.