How strengthening your last line of defence can help prevent the bad guys getting in

Results from a quarterly report analysing KnowBe4 user data to find the Top 10 Global Phishing Email Subject Lines for Q1 2018 emphasised that human error continues to be an organisaton’s weakest link and showed that users, when delivered a simulated phishing test, still continue to open messages with a mix of subject lines related to personal and company notifications.

The Top 10 Most-Clicked General Email Subject Lines Globally for Q1 2018 include:

1. A Delivery Attempt Was Made                                   21%
2. Change of Password Required Immediately          20%
3. W-2                                                                                        13%
4. Company Policy Update for Fraternisation            10%
5. UPS Label Delivery 1ZBE3112TNY00015011            10%
6. Revised Vacation and Time Policy                              8%
7. Staff Review 2017                                                             7%
8. Urgent Press Release to All Staff                                5%
9. Deactivation of (email) in Process                             4%
10. Please Read: Important from HR                                2%

*Capitalisation and spelling are as they were in the phishing test subject line
*Email subject lines are a combination of both simulated phishing templates created by KnowBe4 for clients, and custom tests designed by KnowBe4 customers

It appears that many users are suffering from “information overload” in email, making them less likely to carefully scrutinise phishing emails as they should. According to Osterman Research, email has been the number one network infection vector since 2014. Crafting and distributing enticing material using both random and targeted means gives the cybercriminals greater control in targeting potential victims, leveraging multiple psychological triggers and engaging in what amounts to a continuous maturity cycle. So how can organisations fight back?

Key decision makers within organisations must be proactive in the following steps to be better prepared and deal more effectively with phishing and ransomware attacks including:

1. Take time to better understand the risks you face
2. Develop and implement adequate policies
3. Ensure that systems are kept up-to-date
4. Ensure there good and recent back-ups in place
5. Deploy anti-phishing and anti-ransomware solutions
6. Implement best practices for user behaviour, including simulated phishing tests
7. Use robust threat intelligence