Case Study: Northeastern U.S. College cuts successful phishing attacks by 90% with Proofpoint's Anti‑Phishing Training Suite

U.S. College Lowers Successful Phishing Attacks by 90%

A public liberal arts college in the Northeastern U.S. with about 7,500 students and 1,400 faculty and staff faced a growing phishing problem—users were falling for five to six real phishing attacks per month and some staff believed they were immune after a spoofed email appeared to come from the new dean. Administrators recognized that people, not just technology, were the primary security gap.

The college deployed Proofpoint’s Anti‑Phishing Training Suite—simulated phishing attacks, interactive LMS training modules and repeat assessments—rolling it out initially to 300 staff and expanding thereafter. Within six months the school saw a roughly 90% drop in successful phishing from the wild, fewer spyware infections and support requests, and increased user reporting, accountability and overall confidence in IT security.