According to new report from Hornetsecurity, which analysed 45 billion emails sent in 2023, phishing remains the No.1 cyber-attack method used by cybercriminals. KnowBe4 comments on the report and notes how the KnowBe4 platform can be used to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
The Hornetsecurity Cyber Security Report 2024 digs into the data to see exactly which techniques cybercriminals are using to infiltrate computer networks. This has been reported on by Knowbe4’s Stu Sjouwerman in a recent blog post, who comments: “Phishing was the most common email-based attack method, representing 43.3% of attacks (other email attack methods included advanced-fee scams, extortion, impersonation, etc.).
“And, within those emails, malicious URLs was the top technique used at 30.5% (a 144% growth from last year). For those emails with attachments, HTML files were most popular – found in 37.1% of cases.”
He added that, according to Hornetsecurity, only 3.6% of all emails were considered malicious. At first glance, this seems like ‘good news’, and rather small.
“But when you consider that we’re still talking about 1.6 billion emails that are putting organizations at risk, this is actually horrible news,” he added.
Using a “threat index,” Hornetsecurity listed the top 20 industries based on risk; research, entertainment, manufacturing, media and healthcare topped the list in this very interesting infographic. (see right).
Regardless of the specific technique(s) used, it takes a user falling for the social engineering used and engaging with a link, attachment, or phone number to keep an attack moving forward. By enrolling users in new-school security awareness training, organizations reduce that risk, thereby lowering the likelihood of successful attack via phishing.
KnowBe4 says that its solutions empower workforces to make smarter security decisions every day. Over 65,000 organizations worldwide trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
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