Proofpoint’s annual human factor report reveals how 2021 became the year cyber criminals got creative

Proofpoint’s annual human factor report reveals how 2021 became the year cyber criminals got creative

“One constant that remains as organizations approach a sense of normalcy after a disruptive year is that cyber criminals continue to target and exploit people,” said Ryan Kalember, EVP of cybersecurity strategy, Proofpoint. “Last year attackers demonstrated just how unscrupulous they really are, making protecting people from cyber threats an ongoing—and often eye-opening—challenge for organizations.”

The report draws from a multitrillion-datapoint graph, one of the largest data sets in cybersecurity. Every day, Proofpoint analyzes more than 2.6 billion email messages, 49 billion URLs, 1.9 billion attachments, 28.2 million cloud accounts, 1.7 billion mobile messages and more. This report analyzes data collected throughout 2021 and sheds light on the nature of today’s cyber threats, while offering actionable insight on how to protect employees against them.

Key findings highlighted in Proofpoint’s 2022 Human Factor report include:

- Cyber criminals recognize that our smartphone contains the keys to both our personal and professional lives. Smishing attempts more than doubled in the US over the year, while in the UK over 50% of lures were themed around delivery notification. In addition, cyber criminals initiated more than 100,000 telephone-oriented attacks a day.

- High-privilege users are disproportionately targeted. Managers and executives make up only 10% of overall users within