Where do 90% of all cyber incidents begin?
Asked by: Nora Armstrong | Last update: April 29, 2026Score: 4.6/5 (60 votes)
Over 90% of cyber incidents, including breaches and successful hacks, begin with phishing and other forms of social engineering, primarily delivered through email, targeting the "human element" to trick users into revealing credentials or downloading malware. Attackers use deceptive messages, fake login pages, and malicious attachments to exploit trust and gain initial access, making the inbox the main starting point for many attacks.
Where do 90% of cyber incidents begin?
Over 90% of cyber incidents begin with phishing, where malicious emails trick users into clicking links or opening attachments that steal credentials, install malware (like ransomware), or lead to data breaches, making the human element the most common entry point for attackers. These scams exploit emotions like fear or urgency to bypass technical defenses and get people to reveal sensitive information or grant unauthorized access.
Where do most cyber incidents begin?
Different Types of Cyber Attacks Across Industry in 2025
Phishing (including AI-enhanced) was cited as the origin of ~91% of successful cyberattacks across various sectors. Business Email Compromise (BEC) and credential theft remain the leading causes of finance and service-sector breaches.
Do 90% of cyber attacks start with phishing?
Studies continually show that phishing is responsible for 90% of cyberattacks. Threat actors use deceptive emails, fake login pages, and social engineering tricks to lure employees into clicking malicious links, downloading malware, or handing over credentials and sensitive data.
Did research by Deloitte found that 91% of all cyberattacks begin with a phishing email?
Research by Deloitte found that 91% of all cyberattacks begin with a phishing email (an email that looks like it's from someone you know but is actually from criminals). That's how web giant Yahoo was targeted a few years ago, exposing the contents of half a billion user accounts to criminals.
90% of cyber attacks are routed in human error
What causes 95% of all cybersecurity breaches?
About 95% of cybersecurity breaches are attributed to human error, including falling for phishing scams, using weak passwords, mishandling sensitive data, and failing to install security updates, making people the weakest link despite technological defenses. This statistic, tracing back to IBM's 2014 report, highlights that actions like clicking malicious links or falling for social engineering tricks often bypass technical security, allowing attackers in.
What percentage of cyber-attacks begin with phishing?
Over 90% of Cyber-Attacks Begin with Phishing - How Can Attacks be Stopped? Phishing is now so common that almost all (96%) businesses suffer from its ill effects, including credential theft, Business Email Compromise, and ransomware infection.
Where do most phishing attacks come from?
Headline Phishing Statistics
Over 48% of emails sent in 2022 were spam. Over a fifth of phishing emails originate from Russia. Millennials and Gen-Z internet users are most likely to fall victim to phishing attacks. 83% of UK businesses that suffered a cyber attack in 2022 reported the attack type as phishing.
What is a phishing email?
Phishing is a type of online scam that targets consumers by sending them an e-mail that appears to be from a well-known source – an internet service provider, a bank, or a mortgage company, for example. It asks the consumer to provide personal identifying information.
What is the most famous example of phishing?
The Nordea Bank Incident
Dubbed the "biggest ever online bank heist" by digital security company McAfee, Nordea customers were hit with phishing emails containing Trojan viruses that installed a keylogger into the victims' computers and directed them to a fake bank website where hackers intercepted login credentials.
What are the top 3 targeted industries?
According to data from the World Economic Forum, the top targeted industries for cyberattacks are: Healthcare (accounting for 14.2% of all attacks) Financial organisations. Telecommunications.
Where does most cyber crime originate?
The Index, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, shows that a relatively small number of countries house the greatest cybercriminal threat. Russia tops the list, followed by Ukraine, China, the USA, Nigeria, and Romania. The UK comes in at number eight.
Where should all cyber security incidents be reported?
Reporting cyber security incidents to the chief information security officer, or one of their delegates, as soon as possible after they occur or are discovered provides senior management with the opportunity to assess the impact to their organisation and to oversee any cyber security incident response activities.
How do most cyber attacks begin?
Most cyber incidents don't start with a technical failure. They start with human error. As we've mentioned on multiple occasions, your people will always be your biggest cyber security risk. A single click or response can bypass layers of security controls and give attackers a foothold inside the business.
What is the phishing prone percentage?
What is the Phishing-Prone Percentage (PPP)? The Phishing-Prone Percentage (PPP) is the percentage of users who clicked on a simulated phishing email during testing. It reflects how vulnerable your employees are to phishing before any training.
Where does cyber security start?
Cybersecurity career path starting roles
Many cybersecurity professionals start out in an entry-level IT role to gain experience before moving into the cybersecurity specialization.
What are four types of phishing?
The four common types of phishing are Email Phishing (mass emails), Spear Phishing (targeted attacks on individuals), Smishing (SMS/text message phishing), and Vishing (voice phishing via phone calls), with other variations like Whaling (targeting executives) and Angler Phishing (social media) also prevalent. These attacks trick victims into revealing sensitive info by impersonating trusted sources like banks or colleagues through different communication channels.
What are 5 key signs of phishing?
Five key signs of a phishing attack are urgent or threatening language, suspicious sender addresses, poor grammar and spelling, requests for sensitive information, and unexpected links or attachments that lead to fake sites, all designed to create panic and trick you into revealing data or downloading malware. Legitimate companies rarely ask for sensitive info via unsolicited emails or texts.
Why is it called phishing?
The Story Behind The Name “Phishing”
Some say the term phishing got influences from the word fishing. Analogous to fishing, phishing is also a technique to “fish” for usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information, from a “sea” of users.
Where did phishing start?
It's thought that the first phishing attacks happened in the mid-1990s, when a group of hackers posed as employees of AOL and used instant messaging and email to steal users' passwords and hijack their accounts.
What is the most common source of cyber attacks?
Let's dive into some of the most common cyber attack vectors:
- Credential Stuffing. ...
- Phishing. ...
- Malware. ...
- Ransomware. ...
- Zero-Day Exploits. ...
- Misconfiguration. ...
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) ...
- Injection Attacks and Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) SQL Injection.
What is the main cause of phishing?
#1 Your users lack security awareness
The largest door being opened for cyber criminals is, without a doubt, the one labelled with "security awareness". More specifically, a lack of employee training focusing on issues such as phishing and ransomware is the main reason for these attacks being so successful.
What is the number one method used by cyber attackers?
Here we've listed the most common cyber attack methods and what they mean: Phishing: Phishing uses faked emails from someone posing as a legitimate figure to lure victims into providing sensitive information without realising. This can also be done through SMS (smishing) and several other avenues.
Which population is most vulnerable to phishing attempts?
Adults aged 65 and older are the most vulnerable, with a phishing success rate of 22%, meaning more than one in five attacks lead to compromise. Working-age adults are also heavily affected. People aged 25-44 show a 20% success rate, followed by ages 45-64 at 18%.
Should you just delete phishing emails?
You should report phishing emails as spam or phishing using your email client's built-in button, and then you can safely delete them; simply deleting without reporting allows the malicious emails to continue targeting others by not alerting security systems, which can block them. Never reply or click links in phishing emails, as this confirms your address is active and can lead to scams, but reporting helps protect everyone.