Latest news with #PhishingbyIndustryBenchmarkingReport
Techday NZ
14-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Australia, New Zealand invest AUD $7 million in cyber education
Australia and New Zealand have ranked third globally for phishing vulnerability, with a baseline Phish-prone Percentage (PPP) of 36.8% according to KnowBe4's 2025 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report. The report provides an analysis of cybersecurity readiness based on how likely employees are to fall victim to social engineering or phishing attempts. The PPP metric, developed by KnowBe4, reflects the percentage of users who are susceptible to phishing prior to any security training. For Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), this baseline figure of 36.8% is higher than both the global average of 33.1% and the European average of 32.5%. KnowBe4's study draws on data from 67.7 million simulated phishing exercises conducted among 14.5 million users in 62,400 organisations worldwide. Employees underwent a programme of security awareness training, with their PPP tracked at intervals of ninety days and again after more than a year, to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing training in reducing cyber risk. The findings highlight a marked improvement in resilience to phishing threats following sustained training. Within the first ninety days of awareness training, the average PPP in the region dropped from 36.8% to 19.9%. After twelve months, this figure declined further to just 4.9% on average. KnowBe4 noted that these results are consistent with global patterns, where ongoing security awareness initiatives play a substantial role in strengthening defences against cyber attacks. Large organisations in Australia and New Zealand were identified as the most susceptible globally, with an initial PPP of 44.6%. The report shows these organisations reduced their risk dramatically to 4.7% after a year of continuous security awareness training. The data also indicated that the critical infrastructure and banking sectors were the most vulnerable to phishing in the ANZ region at the outset of the study. Government action in response to the findings has included an investment of AUD $7 million, distributed among 200 recipients, to support community-level cyber education initiatives. This forms part of broader efforts to build long-term resilience, which also include legislative measures to address the increasing sophistication of cyber threats targeted at critical infrastructure sectors. International cooperation has become a core strategy in the region's response to cyber challenges. Australia and New Zealand have engaged with partners through the Five Eyes security alliance and invested in developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce as part of their approach to strengthening organisational and national resilience. Erich Kron, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, commented on the results: "Our report shows that large ANZ organisations began with the highest phishing vulnerability globally at 44.6% yet achieved a remarkable reduction to just 4.7% after ongoing training. The most significant shift we are seeing is the growing recognition by the Australian government of the critical role that community-level education plays in building a resilient cyber ecosystem, evidenced by their AUD $7 million investment across 200 recipients. While progress is being made, it is clear from the data in the report that sustained security training is essential to drive long-lasting change." The KnowBe4 report reiterates the importance of regular, comprehensive security training in reducing individuals' susceptibility to phishing and social engineering, particularly within sectors deemed high risk. The report underlines the necessity of a multifaceted approach that combines education, government policy, industry collaboration, and workforce development to address the persistent risk posed by phishing attacks in the region. Follow us on: Share on:
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KnowBe4 Report Reveals Security Training Reduces Global Phishing Click Rates by 86%
KnowBe4's 2025 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report shows a drop in the global Phish-prone™ Percentage (PPP) to 4.1% after 12 months of security training TAMPA BAY, Fla., May 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KnowBe4, the world-renowned cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, today launched its "Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report 2025" which measures an organization's Phish-prone™ Percentage (PPP) — the percentage of employees likely to fall for social engineering or phishing attacks, indicating the organization's overall susceptibility to phishing threats. This year's report found a global average baseline PPP of 33.1%, meaning a third of employees interact with phishing simulations before taking part in best-practice security awareness training (SAT). The data underscores the significant impact of SAT in mitigating risk. The rapid decline in the global PPP following the implementation of training — falling by 40% in just three months and by a total of 86% after 12 months — demonstrates that ongoing, effective training leads to lasting behavior change and a substantial reduction in vulnerability to cybersecurity threats. This highlights the critical role of continuous education in building a stronger security culture within organizations, even in as little as three months. KnowBe4 analyzed 67.7 million phishing simulations globally, across 14.5 million users from 62.4 thousand organizations. The baseline PPP (33.1%) reflects an organization's susceptibility to phishing before any KnowBe4 training. Employees then undergo KnowBe4's SAT, and the PPP is recalculated after 90 days and again after one year-plus of ongoing training to quantify the program's effectiveness. Other Key Findings from the Phishing By Industry Benchmarking Report: Globally, the top three most at-risk industries with the highest baseline PPP were Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (41.9%), Insurance (39.2%), and Retail & Wholesale (36.5%). Larger organizations faced a higher initial phishing risk, with those having 10,000+ employees showing a global baseline PPP of 40.5%, compared to 24.6% for organizations with 1-250 employees. In organizations of 1,000-9,999 employees, three sectors all achieved PPP improvement rates of 91% after 12 months of on-going training: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Hospitality and Legal. Across the different regions, the highest baseline PPPs were found in South America (39.1%), North America (37.1%), and Australia and New Zealand (36.8%). "The data speaks for itself — security awareness training truly makes a difference," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of KnowBe4. "From 2024 to 2025, the general trend has remained fairly consistent — around one-third of employees click on a simulated phishing link before taking part in training. However, the data shows a slight improvement in 2025. Within a year, we've seen a 3.5% decrease in the global baseline PPP, highlighting a positive shift in overall security awareness worldwide. However, there is still significant progress to be made in fully addressing phishing risks. By consistently prioritizing relevant and engaging training, combined with simulated phishing, organizations can strengthen their human risk management strategies and better protect against phishing to improve overall security culture." To download a copy of the Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report 2025, visit here. About KnowBe4 KnowBe4 empowers workforces to make smarter security decisions every day. Trusted by over 70,000 organizations worldwide, KnowBe4 helps to strengthen security culture and manage human risk. KnowBe4 offers a comprehensive AI-driven 'best-of-suite' platform for Human Risk Management, creating an adaptive defense layer that fortifies user behavior against the latest cybersecurity threats. The HRM+ platform includes modules for awareness & compliance training, cloud email security, real-time coaching, crowdsourced anti-phishing, AI Defense Agents, and more. As the only global security platform of its kind, KnowBe4 utilizes personalized and relevant cybersecurity protection content, tools and techniques to mobilize workforces to transform from the largest attack surface to an organization's biggest asset. View source version on Contacts Media Contact:Kathy WattmanSVP of Public Relationskathyw@ 727-474-9950
