Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Doubters Question Validity of Security Training—KnowBe4 Warns: Don’t Take the Bait—Phishing Attacks on the Rise
  • USA - English


News provided by

JoTo PR

Aug 19, 2013, 09:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

KnowBe4's Osterman Research Survey
KnowBe4's Osterman Research Survey

Tampa Bay, FL (PRWEB) August 19, 2013 -- Cybercriminals have become the perpetual thorn in America’s side—cybercrime is now estimated to cost the U.S. economy $140 billion and half a million jobs each year (1). As IT professionals scramble to stop these criminals, some are dissing the idea of security awareness training where individuals are taught to recognize and avoid cyberattacks. But Internet security awareness training firm KnowBe4 not only deems security training to be a necessity, but also has the results to prove its effectiveness.

The results speak for themselves—security training does work, and it has become an essential piece of a company’s defense against cyber-attacks.

Post this

Many Americans tend to overestimate their ability to identify phishing attacks—a recent survey that tested individuals’ ability to distinguish malicious emails from legitimate ones demonstrated the alarming truth:

●Before taking the test, 89% of the group had said they were “confident” in their ability to tell the difference between an authentic email and one sent by a scammer;
oBut just 7.5% of the participants were able to spot all the fake emails; and
oMore than half of the group missed half of the fake emails and deleted at least one authentic email.
●People who were overconfident before the test, females, and people described as introverted, were more likely to struggle with distinguishing the emails. (1)

The topic of whether employee training is an effective strategy in stemming cybercrime has raised an decades-old debate between information technology (IT) professionals: Opponents of employee training say it is not only overrated, but also doesn’t help employees stand a chance against modern attackers who customize their phishing attacks against individuals. (2) But proponents of employee training—such as Stu Sjouwerman, founder of KnowBe4—say that security awareness training educates employees, provides them with the knowledge and skills to spot social engineering red flags, and to not click on suspicious links or open infected attachments.

“While anti-phishing software is helpful in protecting an organization, no technology-based solution can overcome the problems caused by users who mistakenly or carelessly click on suspect links and thereby introduce malware into the corporate network,” says Sjouwerman. “The only solution is to bolster the first level of a layered defense system in protecting an organization by providing employees with the appropriate security awareness training in order to recognize phishing characteristics, what to do when confronted with them, and keep security top of mind.”

Osterman Research, which specializes in conducting market research for IT and technology-based companies, classifies five basic types of security awareness training that organizations can implement to educate employees about phishing and other illegal cyber acts:

1.The Do-Nothing Approach: The organization conducts no security awareness training.
2.The Breakroom Approach: Employees are gathered during lunches or meetings and are told what to look out for in emails, web surfing, etc.
3.The Monthly Security Video Approach: Employees are shown short videos that explain how to keep the organization safe and secure.
4.The Phishing Test Approach: Certain employees are pre-selected and sent simulated phishing attacks, IT determines whether they fell prey to the attack, and those employees get remedial training.
5.The Human Firewall Approach: Everyone in the organization is tested, the percentage of employees who are prone to phishing attacks is determined, and then everyone is trained on major attack vectors. Simulated phishing attacks are sent to all employees on a regular basis.

Sjouwerman recently commissioned a research survey with Osterman Research to glean data on KnowBe4 customers’ opinions regarding security awareness training. After using KnowBe4’s security awareness training program—categorized as a “Human Firewall Approach”—a vast majority of organizations were found to have increased confidence in employee capability in distinguishing phishing attempts and malware.

Further results of the survey found KnowBe4 customers to be nearly three times more likely than non-customers to find that their phishing problem has lessened over the past year.

“The results speak for themselves—security training does work, and it has become an essential piece of a company’s defense against cyberattacks,” commented Sjouwerman. “Training never fails to show a dramatic reduction in what we have called an organization’s ‘Phish-prone’ percentage—security awareness training is no longer an option, but a must.”

KnowBe4 provides an extensive collection of free cybercrime education resources so that executives and system administrators can arm themselves and their staff against cyber-attacks. The company also offers a free phishing security test to help business owners and managers determine what percentage of employees are phish-prone™—or susceptible to phishing attacks.

For more information, visit KnowBe4 online at http://www.knowbe4.com.

About Stu Sjouwerman and KnowBe4:

Stu Sjouwerman is the founder and CEO of KnowBe4, LLC, which provides web-based Internet Security Awareness Training (ISAT) to small and medium-sized enterprises. A data security expert with more than 30 years in the IT industry, Sjouwerman was the co-founder of Inc. 500 company Sunbelt Software, an award-winning anti-malware software company that he and his partner sold to GFI Software in 2010. Realizing that the human element of security was being seriously neglected, Sjouwerman decided to help entrepreneurs tackle cybercrime tactics through advanced security awareness training. He and his colleagues work with companies in many different industries, including highly-regulated fields such as healthcare, finance and insurance. Sjouwerman is the author of four books, with his latest being Cyberheist: The Biggest Financial Threat Facing American Businesses Since the Meltdown of 2008.

1.Dave, Paresh July. “Cybercrime Costs U.S. Economy up to $140 Billion Annually, Report Says.” Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2013. Web. 14 Aug. 2013. latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-cybercrime-140-billion-dollars-economy-20130722,0,308705.story.

2.Dave, Paresh July. “Who’s Susceptible to Email Phishing Attacks? Study Says Everyone.” Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2013. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-whos-most-susceptible-to-phishing-attacks-20130726,0,6813984.story.

3.“Debate: Security Training Is Effective in Preventing Workers from Clicking on Malicious Links and Attachments.” Scmagazine.com. SC Magazine, 01 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. scmagazine.com/debate-security-training-is-effective-in-preventing-workers-from-clicking-on-malicious-links-and-attachments/article/303199/.

Karla Jo Helms, JoTo PR, 888-202-4614 802, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.