Employee distraction is now your biggest cybersecurity risk

"It's not sophisticated threats causing the majority of cyber incidents, according to new research, it's distracted staff. A recent study from KnowBe4 found that distraction is the top reason organizations fall victim to cyber attacks, cited by 43% of cybersecurity professionals. A lack of security awareness training was close behind at 41%, with the pressure to act quickly at 33% and fatigue or burnout at 31%."

"AI-generated attacks aren't dominant yet, KnowBe4 found, with only 11% citing it as their biggest threat - but cybersecurity professionals are worried about its use among cyber criminals. When asked about future threats, 60% of respondents expressed greatest concern about AI-generated phishing and deepfakes, followed by ransomware at 48% and shadow IT or unsanctioned AI tools at 42%."

"Unsurprisingly, the main threat faced by workers was phishing, accounting for 74% of all incidents. Respondents noted staff frequently faced social engineering techniques such as employee impersonation - an issue that's grown in both scale and intensity in recent years. Three-in-ten cited social engineering via social media platforms such as LinkedIn as a major issue. Malicious links or attachments were also among the top risks encountered by employees, accounting for 38% of all attack methods."

Distracted staff are the leading cause of successful cyber attacks, cited by 43% of cybersecurity professionals. Lack of security awareness training (41%), pressure to act quickly (33%), and fatigue or burnout (31%) also contribute, while only 17.1% attribute incidents to threat sophistication. Phishing accounts for 74% of incidents, with social engineering including employee impersonation and LinkedIn-based approaches affecting many organizations. Malicious links and attachments comprise 38% of attack methods. AI-generated attacks currently register as the top threat for 11%, yet 60% express concern about future AI-driven phishing and deepfakes, followed by ransomware (48%) and shadow IT (42%). Enterprises are urged to strengthen worker support and training.

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