Every quarter, KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, reports on the top-clicked phishing email subjects. The infographic below reveals the Q1 2019 report, released on 21 May.

Phishing emails are fake emails that appear to be from a legitimate company. They’re designed to trick the recipient into clicking on a link and inadvertently installing malware or providing personal information such as passwords or bank details.

The latest findings from KnowBe4 show a significant trend towards using social media-related subjects that look like they’re coming from LinkedIn. This finding is noteworthy because many LinkedIn users have their accounts tied to their work email addresses, thereby increasing the threat of a corporate attack.

The notable theme of the top 10 general email subjects is a warning or alert. These types of headings are designed to convey a sense of urgency and encourage the recipient to click on a link or attachment without taking due care and attention.

The “In the wild” attacks shown in the infographic below are real phishing emails that have been reported to KnowBe4 by its users.

KnowBe4 Top-Clicked Phishing Email Subjects Infographic

When it comes to protecting your business from a phishing email attack, education is key. Train your staff to be alert to suspicious emails and make sure they are aware of the procedure when they suspect they have received a phishing email.

Also, regularly test your employees with simulated phishing attacks. Testing will highlight the weak spots in your organisation and make your staff more vigilant towards phishing emails.

At Bluegrass, we provide a full suite of cyber security protection products including simulated email phishing testing. If you’d like to find out more, please contact us on 01392 207194 or email us.