--- title: Study Reveals which Industries are most Vulnerable to Phishing Attacks description: A new study shows which industries are most likely to fall victim to phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are increasing in popularity and sophistication. Organizations should train employees to recognize malicious emails and invest in cyber-security to secure their assets from the inevitable attack. image: https://marketing.pinecc.com/hubfs/phishing.png --- - [MT Cybersecurity Report](http://www.pinecc.com/montana-cyber-security-report) - [Technology News & Blog](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog) - [Partners](http://www.pinecc.com/partners) - [Careers](http://www.pinecc.com/pine-cove-careers) [![Pine Cove Consulting](https://marketing.pinecc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/pcc_logo_lrg_color_transparent.png?width=576&height=288&name=pcc_logo_lrg_color_transparent.png "Pine Cove Consulting")](http://www.pinecc.com) - Solutions - [Cybersecurity](http://www.pinecc.com/cyber-security) - [Infrastructure](http://www.pinecc.com/infrastructure) - [Communication](http://www.pinecc.com/communication) - [Physical Security](http://www.pinecc.com/physicalsecurity) - [Student Safety](http://www.pinecc.com/student-safety) - [User Security](http://www.pinecc.com/user-security) - IT Services - [Budgeting/Sustainability Planning](http://www.pinecc.com/budgeting) - [Support Services](http://www.pinecc.com/support) - About Us - [History](http://www.pinecc.com/about) - [Our Team](http://www.pinecc.com/team) - [Community Involvement](http://www.pinecc.com/community) - [Case Studies](http://www.pinecc.com/casestudies) [![Contact Us](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/164718/216a4af8-6258-4cec-943b-457d7f5f275e.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/164718/216a4af8-6258-4cec-943b-457d7f5f275e) # Study Reveals which Industries are most Vulnerable to Phishing Attacks [![Jace Holyoak](https://marketing.pinecc.com/hubfs/Website/Team/Cartoons/PCC_06-JaceHolyoak_HQ.jpg) Jace Holyoak](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/author/jace-holyoak) ![Topic](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/HubSpot_Template_Marketplace/Cobalt%20Modular/icons/co-topic.svg) [Cybersecurity](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/topic/cybersecurity) ![Date Published](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/HubSpot_Template_Marketplace/Cobalt%20Modular/icons/co-calendar.svg) Apr 25, 2018 12:34:30 PM ![Reading Time](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/reading-time.svg) Reading Time: 1 min Share: [ ](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/study-reveals-which-industries-are-most-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/study-reveals-which-industries-are-most-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks) [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/study-reveals-which-industries-are-most-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks&url=https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/study-reveals-which-industries-are-most-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks&source=tweetbutton&text=Study%20Reveals%20which%20Industries%20are%20most%20Vulnerable%20to%20Phishing%20Attacks) ![Phishing Example](https://marketing.pinecc.com/hubfs/phishing.png) ![Phishing Example](https://marketing.pinecc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/phishing.png?width=682&height=476&name=phishing.png)[A recent study](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knowbe4-unveils-new-phishing-benchmark-data-and-showcases-most-at-risk-industries-300586540.html) of six million users shows the most common industries to fall victim to the inevitable phishing attack. Topping the list for highest percentage of "Phish-prone" employees in the small to mid-sized organization category was the insurance industry with a whopping 32.66% of employees failing the phishing test. In the lead for large organizations (1,000 or more employees) with the most "Phish-prone" employees, was the non-profit industry at 29.85%. The Phish-prone percentage is determined by the number of employees that would click on a simulated phishing email link or open an infected attachment as simulated by the conductor of the study, [KnowBe4](https://www.knowbe4.com/). [\[RELATED: 3 Phishing Attack Examples\]](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/top-3-phishing-attacks-types-of-cyber-attacks) The overall rankings for the most phish-prone industries are: | Insurance | 32.66% | | --- | --- | | Manufacturing | 30.99% | | Technology | 30.09% | | Not for Profit | 29.85% | | Retail/Wholesale | 28.14% | | Energy/Utilities | 27.89% | | Healthcare/Pharma | 27.75% | | Other | 27.39% | | Education | 27.16% | | Business Services | 26.74% | | Financial Services | 26.29% | | Government | 25.09% | Phishing attacks prove time and time again to be one of the most effective forms of cyber-attacks. To put it in perspective, legitimate B2C marketing emails average a click-through rate of 2.4%. Legitimate B2B marketing emails receive an average click-through rate of 3.5%. Illegitimate phishing emails average a click-through rate of 13%! Users are five times more likely to click on a phishing email than a marketing email.  Don't believe it? Pine Cove is happy to set up a phishing email simulation for your organization.  ## What's the Solution? There are basically two steps every organization should take to protect themselves from the inevitable phishing attack. First, organizations need to train employees how to recognize phishing emails. Phishing emails can be hard to recognize but there are some best practices that users need to know when evaluating whether or not an email is legitimate. Second, its safe to assume that no matter how much training you give, users will still fall victim to cyber-attacks and malicious emails. To secure your assets, organizations should invest in cyber-security software and hardware which will prevent the malicious infection from accessing your organization's assets.  [Next Announcing Pine Cove Tech Students of the Year](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/announcing-pine-cove-tech-students-of-the-year) [BLOG](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog) [Previous Cryptojacking: What is it and how you can fight back](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/cryptojacking-what-is-it-and-how-you-can-fight-back) ### **You may also be Interested in the Following Blogs:** 6 November, 2024 ![author](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/author.png) [Eddie the Sasquatch](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/author/eddie-the-sasquatch) ##### [Our 5-Step Process](https://marketing.pinecc.com/blog/5-step-process) Pine Cove Consulting’s 5-step process ensures seamless Wi-Fi for institutions by optimizing performance, reliability, and long-term support. 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