Surveys of working adults and IT security professionals worldwide conducted in 2021 and 2023 found that the share of organizations experiencing severe consequences due to a successful cyber attack had declined. In 2023, the share of enterprises experiencing a breach of customer or client data was 29 percent, down from 44 percent in 2022. Ransomware infections that occurred through e-mail were common for 32 percent of the respondents in 2023. Cases of a credential or account compromise occurred in 27 percent of the organizations in 2023, a decrease of 25 percent compared to the year prior.
Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023
Characteristic
2021
2022
2023
Breach of customer or client data
54%
44%
29%
Ransomware infection (payload delivered via email)
46%
43%
32%
Credential/account compromise
48%
36%
27%
Loss of data/intellectual property
44%
33%
32%
Other malware infections
27%
28%
22%
Widespread network outage/downtime
22%
26%
25%
Advanced persistent threat
18%
21%
23%
Zero-day exploit
15%
20%
20%
Reputational damage
24%
18%
27%
Financial penalty/regulatory fine
11%
9%
22%
I am not sure
2%
2%
0%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%
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Proofpoint. (March 31, 2024). Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 03, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/
Proofpoint. "Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023." Chart. March 31, 2024. Statista. Accessed June 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/
Proofpoint. (2024). Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/
Proofpoint. "Consequences of Successful Phishing Attacks on Organizations Worldwide in 2021 and 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/
Proofpoint, Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/ (last visited June 03, 2025)
Consequences of successful phishing attacks on organizations worldwide in 2021 and 2023 [Graph], Proofpoint, March 31, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350723/consequences-phishing-attacks/
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