What are the most attractive phishing lures? Security alerts, vacation and sick time policy announcements, and package delivery notifications, according to simulated test findings from Tampa Bay, Fla. cybersecurity firm KnowBe4.

KnowBe4 tracked the most-clicked email subject lines from the simulated phishing tests sent to identify user readiness and awareness over Q2. The Top 10 list represents 22,060 simulated phishing tests failed by either KnowBe4 client users or users that took a free phishing security test from the KnowBe4 website. A number of financial institutions were among those tested.

The list shows there's still a lot of room to train employees on how to spot a phishing or spoofed email. Here they are:

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  • Security Alert – 21%
  • Revised Vacation and Sick Time Policy – 14%
  • UPS Label Delivery 1ZBE312TNY00015011 – 10%
  • BREAKING: United Airlines Passenger Dies from Brain Hemorrhage – VIDEO – 10%
  • A Delivery Attempt was made – 10%
  • All Employees: Update your Healthcare Info – 9%
  • Change of Password Required Immediately – 8%
  • Password Check Required Immediately – 7%
  • Unusual sign-in activity – 6%
  • Urgent Action Required – 6%

*Capitalization is as it was in the phishing test subject line

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Roy Urrico

Roy W. Urrico specializes in articles about financial technology and services for Credit Union Times, as well as ghostwriting, copywriting, and case studies. Also: writer/editor of a semi-annual newsletter for Association for Financial Technology since 1997 and history projects funded by the U.S Interior Department, National Park Service and Warren County (N.Y.).