Phishing in the B2B sector in Germany 2025: Threat situation, effects and prevention strategies

Phishing has become the dominant cyber threat for German companies. The latest Phishing Impact Report 2025 from Klicktester shows an alarming increase in attacks: in 2024, around 37.5 million phishing attempts were recorded in Germany, an increase of 15.7% compared to 2023. According to the study, the financial damage caused by cybercrime reached 267 billion euros. Phishing was the entry point in over 84% of all successful cyberattacks.

The meta-study is based on the evaluation of more than 75 current sources from authorities, security companies and industry associations. It reveals clear risks for companies of all sizes. Without suitable protective measures, the success rate for phishing attacks is 32.6% for affected B2B companies, according to the report.

At the same time, the data from the report shows that well-structured security awareness training and phishing simulations can effectively protect even smaller organizations. According to the study, the click rate for simulated phishing emails drops from around 34% to around 5% with professional training. According to the report, the return on investment (ROI) of such training programs is up to 562 times higher, with a damage reduction of up to 85 percent.

A look at the affected sectors reveals massive differences: the education sector, IT service providers, energy suppliers and financial service providers are particularly affected, with impact rates of between 38 and 45 percent. According to the report, critical infrastructures and companies with high regulatory pressure in particular should prioritize sensitization and awareness processes.

"Phishing has long since developed from an annoying spam method to an existential threat," says Sven Nawrath, co-founder of Klicktester. "Our analysis shows: If you act early, you can not only avoid the damage, but also significantly increase employee awareness and thus security in the company with manageable effort."

Recommended measures according to the report

* Establish regular phishing simulations and security awareness training
* Supplement with technical protection measures (e.g. email gateways, AI-supported filters)
* Introduction of an incident response plan for phishing incidents
* Preparation for upcoming regulatory requirements

About the Phishing Impact Report

With the annual Phishing Impact Report, Klicktester makes a data-based contribution to the public debate on cyber security and sensitizes decision-makers to the growing importance of awareness and prevention. The Phishing Impact Report, published for the first time in 2024, highlighted the threat situation and was therefore a popular source.

Klicktester
Am Berg 1
17209 B?tow
Germany

Sven Nawrath
Co-Founder

s.nawrath@klicktester.de
https://klicktester.de

Klicktester offers phishing simulation software that helps companies to effectively prevent cyber threats. Through realistic attack simulations and intuitive analysis tools, our platform strengthens the security awareness of employees and proactively identifies potential vulnerabilities. Companies from a wide range of industries rely on our expertise to make their IT infrastructure secure and prevent the "human vulnerability".

This release was published on openPR.