TAMPA BAY, Fla., Sept. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowBe4 (NASDAQ:
KNBE), the provider of the world's largest security awareness
training and simulated phishing platform, released its 2021 State
of Privacy and Security Awareness Report.
The commissioned report is based on findings of a study
conducted of a random sampling of 1,000 U.S. employees in both SMB
and large enterprises. The study sought to find out how much
cybersecurity training employees received and the impact it had on
security and privacy best practices. Respondents were asked a
variety of questions on general cybersecurity and data privacy
knowledge and about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on
training. Survey results were also broken down and analyzed by
select industry verticals.
Highlights from the 2021 State of Privacy and Security Awareness
Report include:
- Only 48% of employees believe it is likely or very likely that
their mobile device could become infected with malware if they
click on a suspicious link or attachment in an email
- Employees who are trained once a month are 34% more likely to
believe that clicking on a suspicious link or attachment in an
email is risky compared to employees who receive training no more
than twice a year
- Only 31% of employees feel that they understand business email
compromise very well and can explain what it is to others, despite
the fact that this attack vector is a huge and growing problem that
costs businesses many millions of dollars each year
- A little more than half (55%) of employees had continuous
cybersecurity and data privacy training continue throughout the
lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
- An average of 44% of respondents were not sure whether their
employer was subject to six different privacy regulations,
including the GDPR and HIPAA
- The finance industry is the most likely to receive security
awareness training, with 91% of finance employees reporting having
received some form of training
"In analyzing these findings, what stands out is that U.S.
employees' knowledge of cybersecurity and data privacy best
practices has significant room for improvement," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. "These alarming
results highlight the critical need to implement new-school
security awareness training for every U.S. employee throughout
every organization in this nation. Going a step further to build a
security-minded culture becomes essential as cyber criminals pose
greater threats to business operations."
To download the report, visit
https://www.knowbe4.com/hubfs/2021-State-of-Privacy-Security-Awareness-Report-Research_EN-US.pdf.
About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the
world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing
platform, is used by more than 41,000 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 their
last line of defense.
Media Contact
Amanda Tarantino
Public Relations Officer
KnowBe4
amandat@knowbe4.com
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SOURCE KnowBe4