Q4 2020 KnowBe4 Finds Work From Home-Related Phishing Email Attacks on the Rise

KnowBe4 releases Q4 2020 top-clicked phishing report

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Jan 20, 2021, 08:00 ET

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today revealed the results of its Q4 2020 top-clicked phishing report.

The report reveals that work-related email subjects such as corporate policy changes are becoming more popular with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to keep more people working from home. Covering the entire fourth quarter, real phishing emails that were reported to IT departments related to working from home are on the rise. Social media messages are another area of concern when it comes to phishing, and LinkedIn phishing messages dominate as the top social media email subject to watch out for, holding the number one spot at 47%.

"It's no surprise that phishing attacks related to working from home are increasing given that many countries around the world have seen their employees working from home offices for nearly a year now," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. "Just because employees may be more used to their home office environment doesn't mean that they can let their guard down. The bad guys deploy manipulative attacks intended to strike certain emotions to cause end users to skip critical thinking and go straight for that detrimental click."

In Q4 2020, KnowBe4 examined tens of thousands of email subject lines from simulated phishing tests. The organization also reviewed 'in-the-wild' email subject lines that show actual emails users received and reported to their IT departments as suspicious. The results are below.

Top 10 General Email Subjects:

Password Check Required Immediately
Touch base on meeting next week
Vacation Policy Update
COVID-19 Remote Work Policy Update
Important: Dress Code Changes
Scheduled Server Maintenance -- No Internet Access
De-activation of [[email]] in process
Please review the leave law requirements
You have been added to a team in Microsoft Teams
Company Policy Notification: COVID-19 - Test & Trace Guidelines

*Capitalization 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.

When investigating 'in-the-wild' email subject lines, KnowBe4 found the most common throughout Q4 2020 included:

IT: Annual Asset Inventory
Changes to your health benefits
Twitter: Security alert: new or unusual Twitter login
Amazon: Action Required | Your Amazon Prime Membership has been declined
Zoom: Scheduled Meeting Error
Google Pay: Payment sent
Stimulus Cancellation Request Approved
Microsoft 365: Action needed: update the address for your Xbox Game Pass for Console subscription
RingCentral is coming!
Workday: Reminder: Important Security Upgrade Required

*Capitalization and spelling are as they were in the phishing test subject line.

**In-the-wild email subject lines represent actual emails users received and reported to their IT departments as suspicious. They are not simulated phishing test emails.

For more information on KnowBe4, visit www.knowbe4.com.

About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, is the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, and is used by more than 35,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as the last line of defense.

Media Contact
Amanda Tarantino
Public Relations Officer
KnowBe4
[email protected]

SOURCE KnowBe4