What Is The Percentage Of Organizations Prepared For Cyber Attacks?

Most organizations are not equipped to handle the growing complexity of cyber threats. The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 reports that while 72% of security leaders have observed a rise in cyber risks, only 14% are confident they have the right people and skills to manage them. In 2024, phishing and social engineering attacks surged—driven by generative AI—making threats more targeted and harder to detect.

This lack of preparedness has left sectors like healthcare, finance, and human rights organizations increasingly vulnerable.

In this blog, we’ll examine how prepared organizations truly are for cyber attacks, explore the key factors influencing their cyber resilience, and discuss how Keepnet can help close the gaps in your organization’s cybersecurity strategy.

Understanding Cyber Attack Readiness in Organizations

Cyber attack readiness is the ability of an organization to detect threats early, respond effectively, and recover with minimal disruption. It requires a combination of clear security policies, regularly updated systems, continuous monitoring, and a workforce trained to recognize and respond to threats like phishing.

However, maintaining this level of preparedness is difficult. As cyber threats grow more complex—especially with the rise of AI-driven attacks—many organizations face challenges such as limited budgets, skill shortages, and outdated infrastructure that leave them exposed.

How Many Organizations Are Truly Prepared for Cyber Threats?

An overwhelming majority of businesses are still unprepared for large-scale cyber attacks. According to PwC’s 2025 Global Digital Trust Insights, just 2% of organizations have implemented firm-wide cyber resilience—despite rising security concerns and data breaches now costing over $3 million on average.

This gap between awareness and action leaves most businesses exposed to fast-evolving threats like phishing, ransomware, and social engineering.

Key Factors That Influence Organizational Cybersecurity Preparedness

The level of cybersecurity preparedness in any organization depends on several key factors. These include leadership involvement, access to skilled security professionals, investment in modern technologies, and the ability to adapt to evolving threats. When even one of these areas is weak, the entire security posture can suffer—making it easier for cyber attacks like phishing to succeed.

Common Weaknesses in Corporate Cybersecurity Strategies

Many organizations face key challenges that leave them exposed to cyber attacks. Gaps in visibility, outdated practices, and lack of consistent policies continue to undermine their security efforts.

• Human Error: The 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon found that 68% of breaches involved the human element—mistakes like clicking on phishing links or misconfiguring systems.
• Outdated Systems: Delayed updates and missed patches create vulnerabilities that attackers can easily exploit.
• Lack of Employee Training: Without regular security awareness training, staff often fail to recognize and respond to threats such as phishing and social engineering. Keepnet research shows that such training can reduce security-related risks by up to 70%, making it one of the most effective preventive measures.

Even when security tools are in place, they are often misconfigured or underutilized—leaving these critical weak points unaddressed.

Industries Most Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

Some industries are attacked more often than others—mainly because of the sensitive data they store or the critical services they provide.

• Healthcare: The UK healthcare system has faced major cyber challenges, with 81% of providers experiencing ransomware attacks. (Source) This sector is highly vulnerable due to its reliance on real-time access to patient records and life-saving systems, making downtime unacceptable.
• Financial Services: A survey by the UK’s central bank found that 74% of financial sector executives see cyber attacks as the top threat to the financial system. (Source) The industry is a prime target because it handles high-value transactions and stores sensitive financial data.
• Human Rights Organizations: Cyber attacks against human rights organizations are increasing, often aiming to disrupt advocacy efforts or expose confidential communications. These groups are vulnerable due to limited security resources and the political sensitivity of their work.

These sectors remain key targets, and without strong, adaptive defenses, the consequences of a breach can be severe.

Global Trends in Organizational Cybersecurity Preparedness

Cyber threats are evolving quickly, and organizations must adapt to stay protected. Three major trends are shaping how businesses approach cybersecurity today:

• Rise in AI-Powered Threats: Attackers are using artificial intelligence to launch more targeted and advanced cyber attacks. The World Economic Forum reports that while many organizations expect AI to impact their cybersecurity, only 37% have proper controls in place to manage the risks of the AI tools they use.
• Increased Regulatory Measures: Governments are introducing stricter cybersecurity laws to reduce risk. For example, the European Commission has committed €1.3 billion to boost AI, cybersecurity, and digital skills—showing a strong focus on improving digital protection. (Reuters)
• Shortage of Cybersecurity Talent: Many organizations don’t have enough skilled professionals to defend against fast-moving threats. The World Economic Forum points out that cyber threats are growing faster than businesses can fill critical security roles, leaving systems more exposed to cyber attacks.

These trends make it clear: staying ahead in cybersecurity means investing in people, not just technology.

The Role of Employee Training in Corporate Cyber Threat Prevention

Employees are often the first line of defense against cyber attacks. Without proper training, even basic mistakes can lead to serious breaches. Strengthening staff awareness and response skills is critical to building a secure organization.

• Security Awareness Training: Ongoing training helps employees understand common threats and reduces the risk of human error—one of the main causes of data breaches.
• Phishing Simulations: Running realistic phishing tests trains employees to spot suspicious emails and take the right action before damage occurs.
• Incident Response Drills: Practicing how to respond to cyber incidents prepares teams to act quickly and limit the impact of an attack.

Effective training builds a more alert and capable workforce, helping prevent mistakes that lead to security failures.

How Keepnet Helps Organizations Strengthen Cyber Resilience

Keepnet’s Extended Human Risk Management platform helps organizations build a strong security culture by using AI-driven phishing simulations, adaptive training, and automated response tools to reduce employee-driven threats and social engineering risks. In the next sections, we’ll look at how these tools work to improve cyber resilience.

The Importance of Phishing Awareness in Organizations

Phishing remains one of the most common and damaging forms of cyber attacks, often relying on human error. Keepnet’s Phishing Simulator helps organizations train employees to detect, report, and avoid phishing attempts through targeted, realistic simulations.

With over 6,000 customizable templates and AI-powered personalization, you can tailor simulations to mimic actual threats your employees may face. Campaigns can be launched in under a minute, with no configuration or whitelisting required.

Key benefits include:

• Phishing Risk Score: Lower your organization’s phishing risk by up to 92% compared to the industry average.
• Behavior-Based Training: Automatically assign training based on user responses to reinforce secure behavior.
• Time Efficiency: Save up to 90% of setup time with ready-to-launch campaigns

Keepnet’s simulator combines speed, intelligence, and customization to boost employee awareness and reduce the success rate of phishing attacks.

Best Practices for Corporate Cybersecurity Defense

Effective protection against cyber attacks depends on people, process, and timely action. Keepnet delivers a practical, people-focused defense strategy through the following key solutions:

• Adaptive, Role-Based Awareness Training: Keepnet personalized training is tailored to each department’s risk profile and employee knowledge level. With over 2,100 materials in 36+ languages from 15+ providers, the program helps close skill gaps and builds a strong security culture across the organization.
• Automated Incident Response: Keepnet’s Incident Responder uses automation and 20+ integrated analysis tools to detect and prioritize phishing threats. It allows teams to respond to email threats 48.6 times faster, reducing downtime and limiting damage.
• Role-Specific Nudges: Behavioral nudges are customized to each employee’s role, offering timely reminders that encourage secure decisions—like verifying high-risk emails or reinforcing routine updates—strengthening long-term behavior change

Together, these capabilities help organizations stay prepared, respond faster, and reinforce secure habits across all teams.

To go deeper into building lasting security behaviors, check out Keepnet’s full guide on What is a Security Behavior and Culture Program (SBCP)?