That 'Urgent Payroll Update' Email is a Trap: A Look at the Latest HR Phishing Tactics
KnowBe4, Thursday, August 21st, 2025
Phishing attacks impersonating HR are on the rise. Between January 1 - March 31, 2025, our Threat Lab team observed a 120% surge in these attacks reported via our PhishER product versus the previous three months. These attacks have remained at elevated levels since peaking in February.
(FYI in our previous post, we explored the reasons that makes these attacks so effective. Now, we'll look at the trends and specific campaigns behind the numbers.)
Our analysis of these attacks in 2025 reveals four overall trends for HR impersonation attacks in 2025: