Survey finds phishing reporting lapses among IT leaders

Cybersecurity Dive reports that a new Arctic Wolf survey revealed that nearly two-thirds of senior IT executives have clicked on phishing links, with 17% not reporting the incidents and about 10% admitting to clicking multiple phishing links without notifying anyone, which the security firm attributed to fear of termination or punishment.

The survey of 1,700 IT leaders and lower-level employees also highlighted broader cybersecurity risks. Even though almost 70% of IT leaders said they had been targeted by cyberattacks, including 39%, 35%, and 31% of whom reported being hit with phishing, malware, and social engineering, respectively, more than three-quarters were confident their organization would not fall victim.

Globally, New Zealand and Australia saw the largest rise in breaches, from 56% to 78% of organizations affected, while breach rates remained steady in the U.S. The report also found gaps in AI awareness. 60% of IT leaders and 41% of lower-level staff admitted sharing confidential data with AI tools such as ChatGPT, and 43% of employees were unsure whether a generative AI policy existed. Arctic Wolf warned that such a lack of communication and training "leaves users vulnerable to data and network risks."

Nearly 60% of organizations expressed concern over sensitive data exposure via AI, and roughly half cited potential misuse of these tools.