SAT Concepts
What Is a Baseline Phishing Test?
A baseline phishing test is an unannounced simulated phishing email sent to employees before security awareness training begins to measure an organization's initial susceptibility to phishing attacks.
A baseline phishing test is an unannounced simulated phishing email sent to employees before security awareness training begins to measure an organization's initial susceptibility to phishing attacks. The baseline test establishes the organization's initial Phish-prone Percentage (PPP)—the percentage of users likely to click on a phishing email or report it. The test results provide a benchmark against which the effectiveness of subsequent security awareness training can be measured, representing how vulnerable the organization would be if a real phishing attack bypassed email filters.
How does a baseline phishing test work?
Baseline phishing tests operate through a structured pre-training assessment process. Before implementing any security awareness training, organizations send out a simulated phishing email to all employees or a representative sample. The test is conducted without warning to employees to capture authentic behavior and provide the most accurate representation of organizational vulnerability.
User interaction capture tracks three key behaviors. Clicks represent users who click the malicious link. Reports indicate users who report the phishing email to IT or security. Ignores reflect users who receive but do not interact with the email. The platform logs each interaction with timestamps and user identifiers.
Phish-prone Percentage calculation follows the formula: (Clicks + Reports) divided by Total Recipients. Some organizations calculate "click rate" (clicks only) separately as a more conservative measure of vulnerability. This metric serves as the starting point for measuring improvement through training.
Benchmark establishment uses the baseline PPP as the reference point for all future measurements. Follow-up communication represents best practice. After the baseline test, organizations typically send emails explaining the test, its purpose, emphasizing the importance of training, and sometimes sharing aggregate results with employees.
According to Brightside AI and KnowBe4 research, the global average baseline Phish-prone Percentage is 33.1%, with untrained users showing 60-70% baseline susceptibility. KnowBe4's research indicates that 37.9% of untrained end users fail a phishing test, a metric some organizations use instead of PPP.
How does a baseline phishing test differ from ongoing testing?
Dimension | Baseline Test | Ongoing Tests | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
Timing | Pre-training, conducted once | Periodic (monthly to quarterly) | Baseline: initial measurement; Ongoing: progress tracking |
Announcement | Unannounced (best practice) | Mixed (some announced, some unannounced) | Baseline: authentic behavior; Ongoing: learning reinforcement |
Goals | Establish vulnerability benchmark | Measure training effectiveness; reinforce learning | Baseline: identify risk; Ongoing: sustain awareness |
Typical PPP | 33.1% global average | Decreases over time with training | Baseline: reference point; Ongoing: trending improvement |
Employee response | Authentic first reaction | May be primed for testing | Baseline: true vulnerability; Ongoing: learned caution |
Ideal for | Organizations starting awareness programs needing budget justification | Mature programs tracking sustained behavior change | Baseline: proving initial risk; Ongoing: demonstrating ROI over time |
Neither is universally better. Baseline tests provide critical initial vulnerability assessment that informs training priorities and budget justification. Ongoing tests measure sustained behavior change and serve as training reinforcement. Organizations need both: baseline for benchmarking and ongoing for verification.
Why have baseline phishing tests gained traction?
Global baseline statistics from 2024-2025 demonstrate widespread vulnerability. The global average baseline Phish-prone Percentage reaches 33.1% based on 67.7 million phishing simulations across 14.5 million users from 62,400 organizations globally per KnowBe4. However, organizations should recognize that simulated phishing may underestimate real-world susceptibility as employees become test-aware.
Regional variations show different vulnerability levels. South America demonstrates highest baseline vulnerability at 39.1%, North America shows 37.1%, and Australia and New Zealand reach 36.8%. These regional differences may reflect varying security maturity levels and cultural factors affecting security awareness.
Industry-specific baseline risk varies significantly. Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals show highest risk at 41.9%, Insurance reaches 39.2%, and Retail and Wholesale demonstrates 36.5%. These differences justify industry-specific training approaches, though other factors like security investment and culture also influence vulnerability.
Organization size impacts baseline metrics. Large organizations (10,000+ employees) show 40.5% baseline PPP, while small organizations (1-250 employees) demonstrate 24.6% baseline PPP. Larger organizations face proportionally higher baseline phishing risk, though this may reflect communication challenges rather than employee awareness.
Training impact on baseline metrics demonstrates program value. Organizations implementing security awareness training see phishing susceptibility drop by 40% within 90 days and by 86% after 12 months. Organizations with strong training reduced average breach costs from USD 5.10 million to USD 4.15 million—savings of USD 950,000 per incident according to IBM research. However, these improvements reflect comprehensive programs, not baseline testing alone.
What are the limitations of baseline phishing tests?
Single point in time measurement creates snapshot limitations. Baseline tests capture vulnerability at one moment. External factors like seasonality (holiday phishing campaigns), recent security incidents (increased awareness), or employee turnover can skew results significantly.
Limited scope constrains risk assessment. Tests measure only phishing email susceptibility and do not assess other attack vectors including voice phishing, physical security, credential harvesting via malicious websites, or USB drop attacks.
User behavior bias may affect results. Unannounced baseline tests may artificially lower reporting rates if employees fear consequences for clicking suspicious emails. Organizations must communicate that testing aims to improve security, not punish individuals.
Baseline obsolescence occurs over time. After initial training, the baseline becomes less relevant if the organization does not maintain consistent training programs. A single baseline from two years ago provides limited insight into current vulnerability.
Limited granularity reduces actionable insights. Initial PPP does not distinguish between casual clickers and those who report after clicking. Some users click to verify legitimacy rather than being duped, but baseline metrics cannot capture this nuance.
Training variability affects improvement measurement. Baseline improvements depend heavily on training quality, frequency, and engagement. Poor training may not meaningfully reduce baseline metrics, making the initial benchmark misleading about training program effectiveness.
Template-specific results limit generalizability. Baseline results are highly dependent on email template sophistication. Basic phishing tests may not reflect real-world attack complexity, particularly AI-generated phishing which shows 54% success rates versus generic templates at 12%.
What compliance frameworks benefit from baseline phishing tests?
Regulatory compliance documentation uses baseline tests to demonstrate to regulators (PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR) that the organization has assessed security awareness and is implementing corrective training. The documented baseline provides evidence of due diligence.
Breach prevention metrics show organizational commitment. Documenting baseline vulnerability and training improvements helps organizations demonstrate due diligence in breach prevention, potentially reducing liability in the event of a security incident.
Incident response readiness improves through risk identification. Baseline test results inform incident response planning by identifying which employee populations are highest risk, enabling targeted monitoring and controls.
Audit trail creation supports compliance verification. Organizations maintain baseline test results as evidence of security awareness program implementation for auditors and regulators.
PCI DSS 4.0 requires documented security awareness assessment and training. Baseline phishing tests provide quantifiable evidence of initial risk assessment and subsequent improvement.
HIPAA requires risk assessment of workforce. Baseline phishing tests identify high-risk populations for targeted training and enhanced monitoring of employees handling protected health information.
GDPR demonstrates organizational commitment to data protection through employee security awareness measurement. Baseline tests show that organizations actively assess and address employee vulnerability to attacks targeting personal data.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework baseline tests support the Assess function in identifying organizational vulnerability. Documentation demonstrates systematic risk identification required by the framework.
Who are the major baseline phishing test providers?
Adaptive Security — Phishing awareness training platform with simulations and training integration.
Brightside AI — Security awareness training platform with phishing simulation and reporting capabilities.
CloudSEK — Phishing simulation tools and security testing platform.
Defy Security — Security awareness training framework with baseline testing capabilities.
Hoxhunt — Security awareness platform with phishing simulation and baseline testing, publishing phishing trends reports.
Kinds Security — Gamified phishing simulation with baseline testing and engagement features.
KnowBe4 — Market leader in phishing simulation, providing baseline testing best practices and industry benchmarking reports with free phishing security test tool.
Proofpoint — Phishing simulation and baseline testing through Phish Threat product; issues annual State of the Phish Report.
SecurityWizardry — Phishing assessment and simulation tools.
Sophos Phish Threat — Phishing simulation and employee training platform with baseline testing.
Trend Micro — Security awareness training with phishing simulation capabilities.
FAQs
What is the difference between a baseline phishing test and ongoing phishing tests?
A baseline test is conducted once before training begins to measure initial vulnerability and establish a benchmark. Ongoing tests are conducted periodically—monthly to quarterly—to monitor sustained behavior change and reinforce training. The baseline provides the reference point against which ongoing tests measure progress. Both serve complementary purposes: baseline for initial assessment and budget justification, ongoing for sustained behavior verification and training reinforcement.
What is Phish-prone Percentage (PPP)?
PPP is the percentage of users who click on or report simulated phishing emails, calculated as (Clicks + Reports) divided by Total Recipients. The global average baseline PPP is 33.1%, meaning approximately one-third of untrained employees are susceptible to phishing emails. Some organizations calculate click rate separately—focusing only on clicks rather than including reports—to measure pure vulnerability rather than reporting behavior. This metric serves as the primary benchmark for measuring training effectiveness.
Should baseline phishing tests be announced or unannounced?
Best practice is to conduct baseline tests unannounced to capture authentic employee behavior and reflect true organizational vulnerability to real phishing attacks. Announced tests may artificially increase reporting rates as employees are primed to look for threats, undermining baseline measurement accuracy. However, organizations should communicate the purpose after testing to maintain trust and explain that results inform training priorities rather than punish individuals.
How much does training reduce baseline phishing click rates?
Organizations implementing security awareness training see baseline phishing vulnerability decrease by approximately 40% within 90 days and up to 86% within 12 months according to KnowBe4 research. Mature programs with 12 months of training achieve click rates under 10%, down from a global baseline average of 33.1%. However, results vary significantly based on training quality, frequency, organizational culture, and employee engagement. Sustained improvement requires ongoing training and periodic testing.
Which industries or organization sizes have the highest baseline phishing risk?
Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals have the highest baseline vulnerability at 41.9%, followed by Insurance at 39.2% and Retail and Wholesale at 36.5% according to KnowBe4 research. Larger organizations with 10,000+ employees face higher baseline risk at 40.5% compared to small organizations with 1-250 employees at 24.6%. The size correlation may reflect communication challenges and organizational complexity more than individual employee awareness differences.
