IRONSCALES Research Exposes Critical Failures in Secure Email Gateways
Mar 25, 2025 - financialpost.com
IRONSCALES, an AI-powered email security company, has released a research report highlighting the shortcomings of Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) in detecting phishing emails. The study, based on data from 1,921 organizations, reveals that SEGs miss an average of 67.5 phishing emails per 100 mailboxes monthly. Smaller organizations face a higher risk, with up to 7.5 times more missed phishing attacks than larger enterprises. The report underscores the limitations of legacy SEG solutions, which struggle with socially engineered threats, and emphasizes the need for adaptive security measures that incorporate AI and real-time human feedback.
The report also quantifies the operational costs associated with missed phishing emails, estimating an average cost of $36.29 and 27.5 minutes of analyst time per incident. IRONSCALES offers a new SEG Missed Phish Calculator to help organizations estimate their SEG's effectiveness. The findings advocate for a modern approach to email security that reduces alert fatigue and response times, highlighting the importance of adaptive AI in safeguarding against evolving phishing threats.
Key takeaways:
Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) are missing an average of 67.5 phishing emails per 100 mailboxes monthly.
Smaller organizations face higher risks, experiencing up to 7.5 times more missed phishing attacks than larger enterprises.
Each missed phishing email costs an average of $36.29 to investigate and remediate, taking 27.5 minutes of analyst time.
The report highlights the need for adaptive security that evolves with threats, combining AI, behavioral analytics, and real-time human feedback.
