New KnowBe4 Benchmarking Report Finds 37.9% of Untrained End Users Will Fail a Phishing Test

TAMPA BAY, Fla., March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced it has released a new Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report to measure an organization's Phish-Prone percentage (PPP), which indicates how many of their employees are likely to fall for a phishing or social engineering scam. 

The initial baseline phishing test was administered to organizations that hadn't conducted any KnowBe4 security awareness training. The results indicated a high level of risk, with an average initial baseline PPP of 37.9%, up 8.3% from 2019, across all industries and sizes. Every organization regardless of size and vertical is susceptible to phishing and social engineering without computer-based training.

"We continue to see a trend of organizations' PPP increasing year-over-year," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. "These findings reinforce the need for new-school security awareness training and frequent simulated phishing testing. As security professionals, we have a call to action to educate our end users so they are the most prepared and have the knowledge they need to remain vigilant against evolving cyber threats." 

After 90 days of computer-based training and simulated phishing testing, the average PPP was reduced by over 60 percent, dropping from 37.9% to 14.1%. And after one year of monthly simulated phishing tests and regular training, the PPP further declines to just 4.7%. Across all industries, there's an average 87 percent improvement rate from baseline testing to 12 months of training and testing.

To download a copy of the KnowBe4 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report, visit https://info.knowbe4.com/phishing-by-industry-benchmarking-report. For more information on KnowBe4, visit www.knowbe4.com.  

About KnowBe4 

KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 31,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as the last line of defense.

CONTACT: Amanda Tarantino, 727-742-1853, [email protected]

SOURCE KnowBe4