Report Reveals Security Training Reduces Global Phishing Click Rates by 86%

KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, today launched its “Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report 2025” which measures an organization’s Phish-prone Percentage (PPP) — the percentage of employees likely to fall for social engineering or phishing attacks, indicating the organization’s overall susceptibility to phishing threats. This year’s report found a global average baseline PPP of 33.1%, meaning a third of employees interact with phishing simulations before taking part in best-practice security awareness training (SAT).COVER 2025-PIB-NA-Report_EN-US

The data underscores the significant impact of SAT in mitigating risk. The rapid decline in the global PPP following the implementation of training — falling by 40% in just three months and by a total of 86% after 12 months — demonstrates that ongoing, effective training leads to lasting behavior change and a substantial reduction in vulnerability to cybersecurity threats. This highlights the critical role of continuous education in building a stronger security culture within organizations, even in as little as three months.

KnowBe4 analyzed 67.7 million phishing simulations globally, across 14.5 million users from 62.4 thousand organizations. The baseline PPP (33.1%) reflects an organization’s susceptibility to phishing before any KnowBe4 training. Employees then undergo KnowBe4’s SAT, and the PPP is recalculated after 90 days and again after one year-plus of ongoing training to quantify the program’s effectiveness.

Other Key Findings from the Phishing By Industry Benchmarking Report:

  • Globally, the top three most at-risk industries with the highest baseline PPP were Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (41.9%), Insurance (39.2%), and Retail & Wholesale (36.5%).
  • Larger organizations faced a higher initial phishing risk, with those having 10,000+ employees showing a global baseline PPP of 40.5%, compared to 24.6% for organizations with 1-250 employees.
  • In organizations of 1,000-9,999 employees, three sectors all achieved PPP improvement rates of 91% after 12 months of on-going training: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Hospitality and Legal.
  • Across the different regions, the highest baseline PPPs were found in South America (39.1%), North America (37.1%), and Australia and New Zealand (36.8%).

“The data speaks for itself — security awareness training truly makes a difference,” said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of KnowBe4. “From 2024 to 2025, the general trend has remained fairly consistent — around one-third of employees click on a simulated phishing link before taking part in training. However, the data shows a slight improvement in 2025. Within a year, we’ve seen a 3.5% decrease in the global baseline PPP, highlighting a positive shift in overall security awareness worldwide. However, there is still significant progress to be made in fully addressing phishing risks. By consistently prioritizing relevant and engaging training, combined with simulated phishing, organizations can strengthen their human risk management strategies and better protect against phishing to improve overall security culture.”

To download a copy of the Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report 2025, visit here.

Featured

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.