Consequences
Ineffective phishing awareness training results in three critical business consequences:
#1. Likelihood of a Data Breach
Employees without proper training have a 30-40% click rate on phishing emails. Each click exposes sensitive information, intellectual property, and credentials to attackers. A single breach triggers regulatory investigations and lawsuits.
#2. Financial Losses
A single phishing breach triggers expenses that compound quickly: incident response, regulatory fines for HIPAA and GDPR violations, and remediation costs that quickly reach exceed $1M.
#3. Cybersecurity Insurance Gaps
Most cyber insurance policies exclude breaches caused by employee negligence or phishing. Even insured organizations face higher premiums, coverage denials, and policy cancellations after a phishing-triggered breach.