In a new survey, more than one-fourth of workers say they were victims of a phishing attack in the past year. Among other findings:
- Respondents were more likely to fall for an advanced phishing attack than they were two years ago.
- 52% say they fell for an attack because the cybercriminal pretended to be a senior executive. This is up from 41% in 2020.
- 21% of workers say they didn’t report their mistake to their IT department. This is up from 16% in 2020, suggesting that employees are more fearful of the potential for harsher consequences.
Cybercrime is not only more common; it’s also more expensive. For instance, average ransomware payments increased by 78% in 2020 to more than $500,000. At the same time, in 2020 the FBI received nearly 250,000 complaints about phishing scams involving losses of over $54 million.
It is important to provide ongoing education and training about cybersecurity in your organization. At the same time, make sure your culture encourages people to report incidents without fear of retribution.
