30 Cybersecurity Statistics to Boost your Systems’ Online Defense

Cybercrimes are on a constant rise worldwide, and the latest cybersecurity statistics confirm this trend.

Not so long ago, major domestic and international banks and big organizations were the main targets of cybercriminals. Still, data on the current state of cybersecurity indicates that hackers also attack small businesses.

Recent unauthorized access to Capcom, one of the many companies affected by cyberattacks, has compromised 350,000 personal user data. In fact, this is just one of the many cybersecurity incidents that cause businesses to bleed millions of dollars each time they suffer an attack.

Do you want to know if your business is safe from hackers?

We’ve listed the newest statistics about cyberattacks, data breaches, and security trends that will help you stay updated.

Shocking Cybersecurity Stats During the Pandemic

1. The reported cyber crimes increased by approximately 300% during the pandemic in 2020.

(IMG Grupo)

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center released a report that showed a substantial increase in cyber attacks during the pandemic. To aggravate this, Google also shared a report showing a significant rise in pandemic-related phishing attacks over the platform.

Furthermore, according to the FBI’s statistics on cybersecurity, the sudden spike in cyber-related risks could be traced to domestic and international hackers who wanted to take advantage of the increasing web activities brought about by the pandemic.

2. The impact of remote work on the average cost of a data breach reached $137,000.

(Capita)

The collective impact of the pandemic reached the digital space, particularly the data security sphere. Now that most businesses have established an online presence and remote work is run-of-the-mill, will the current global crises affect data breaches?

So, these remote work cybersecurity statistics expose that 70% of respondents agree remote work will raise the cost of a data breach.

3. 52% of legal and compliance leaders have been worried about third-party risks since the onset of the pandemic.

(Gartner)

A pandemic is an unprecedented event. No people or organizations were ready when COVID-19 hit the world. That said, the transition from in-office setting to remote work happened hastily as a rapid response to the situation.

Remote employees adjusted quickly, but organizations didn’t have enough time to deploy stronger network security solutions to protect their network systems. This raised worries from legal and compliance leaders.

Interesting Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics

4. 28% of data breaches in 2020 involved small businesses.

(Small Business Trends)

In the past, cybercriminals wouldn’t attack small businesses because there wasn’t so much to steal. But times have changed. Nowadays, hackers don’t care if their victims are small-sized businesses with fewer assets.

In other words, every organization faces cybersecurity risks. This proves cybercriminals are becoming less selective with their victims.

5. In 2019, 25% of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) filed for bankruptcy after a cybersecurity breach.

(ESET)

Moreover, statistics on hacking note that 10% completely stopped doing business.

So, businesses can take many steps to reduce their risk of a security breach, including implementing strong security measures, training employees in security best practices, and regularly monitoring their systems for signs of activity.

6. Recorded suspicious logins reached 52,589 across small business websites throughout September 2020.

(Glow)

So, if you own a WordPress site, you better check your site’s activity.

Glow, a website maintenance app, released some cybersecurity diversity statistics, detailing that approximately 1,421 suspicious login attempts were initiated by cybercriminals per WordPress site throughout September 2020.

These latest facts may serve as a reminder for small businesses to fortify their network and information systems. Keep in mind that investing in website maintenance and security tools or software can lessen the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

Surprising Statistics on Cyberattacks

7. Hackers attack every 39 seconds, around 2,200 times daily.

(MageData)

Hackers use various methods to gain access to information, including guessing passwords, exploiting vulnerabilities, and installing malware. While some hackers are motivated by political or ideological goals, others are simply after the monetary value of the data they obtain.

8. An Internet security report states that 53% of cyberattacks go unnoticed.

(ITGovernanceUSA)

In this age of technological awareness, many business owners believe that paying for security tools will suffice to deflect cyberattacks.

However, despite deploying several security products, over half of attachments remained undetected. This is only one of the many cybersecurity breach statistics that confirm organizations need to revamp their existing systems.

9. As many as 91% of cyberattacks don’t generate security alerts.

(ITGovernanceUSA)

According to the 2020 Mandiant Security Effectiveness Report, only 9% of attacks triggered security alerts. In addition, it was uncovered that most security tools weren’t optimized.

Some security settings were on their default configurations, while others lacked updating and force controls testing features. As a result, security tools failed to send alerts during an incident.

10. According to cybersecurity statistics, 94% of malware is sent via email, and 45% comes in the form of Office doc files.

(Verizon)

The same facts expose the hidden dangers of using emails. Believe it or not, sent emails will hit an all-time high of 361.6 billion daily by 2024. So, it’s no surprise that cybercriminals want to overexploit these tools for malware.

Today, emails are staples in businesses. For some organizations, it’s the main channel of communication. So, the next time you receive an email, scrutinize the content before clicking any link and perhaps invest in the best email encryption software to protect your data.

Data Breach & Cybersecurity Trends

11. With 1,489 breached accounts per 100 people, Russia has the highest number of breached accounts per capita.

(Property Casualty 360)

Since 2004, Russia has accounted for 14.6% of all global data breaches. This is nearly eight times higher than the average of 191 breached accounts per 100 people.

While the reasons are not entirely clear, it is likely due to a combination of factors, including weak security practices, rampant cybercrime, and a lack of government regulation. Let’s not forget that hacking statistics point out that the fastest hackers are also Russians.

12. On average, it takes 287 days to detect and contain a data breach, as Internet security statistics find.

(Venture Beat)

More specifically, organizations need 212 days to detect a breach and 75 days to contain it.

Whenever a breach happens, time becomes critical. Every passing second means losing money to the business. Unfortunately, the average time from identifying a breach to containing it hasn’t changed much from the previous year.

13. In 2020, the worldwide average data breach cost was $3.86 million.

(Embroker)

This is only marginally lower than the 2019 figure of $3.92 million. However, despite this small decrease, the data breach cost remains high, and organizations need to be aware of the risks they face.

14. Cybercrime facts indicate that 86% of online breaches are financially motivated.

(Maryville University)

So, the majority of Internet breaches are motivated by money. More specifically, hackers phish information from vulnerable people to obtain sellable information on the dark web. Others penetrate the organization’s data systems and demand a ransom.

15. External email services comprise 51% of accidental data breaches.

(Help Net Security)

Out of the different technologies used in organizations today, external email services, such as Yahoo! and Gmail, have been the causal factors of unexpected data breaches.

The top five technologies that usually lead to accidental breaches include corporate email (46%), file-sharing services (40%), collaboration tools (38%), and SMS or messaging apps (35%).

Hottest Cybersecurity Industry Trends

16. The healthcare sector ranked first for having the highest number of breaches in 2020, accounting for 12.3%.

(Scirp)

According to cybersecurity in healthcare, the sector has long been a target for cyberattacks, and as data breach statistics show, 2020 was no different.

This is not surprising, given the large amount of sensitive data collected and stored by healthcare organizations. Patient records, which can include Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth, are a particularly valuable target for criminals.

In comparison, cyberattack statistics find two data breaches per day in healthcare in 2021.

17. The 3,932 reported breaches in 2020 exposed more than 37 billion records, cyberattack statistics by year show.

(Risk Based Security)

A 2020 data breach report by Risk Based Security notes a 48% decline in the number of breaches from 2019 to 2020.

However, the total number of exposed records was 141% higher. This figure perfectly demonstrates the importance of cybersecurity.

Hacking data shows that the strategies recently used in hacking were more refined, and despite a 48% decrease in breaches, the number of information exposed rose more than two times.

18. According to cyberthreat statistics, malware/ransomware (48%) was the biggest risk to organizations in 2019.

(Help Net Security)

Statistics on ransomware reveal that WannaCry is the biggest ransomware attack in history. If that attack hadn’t been stopped, who knows what damage it would have caused to Microsoft. Fortunately, the company was able to release patches immediately.

In addition, other risks to IT include external attacks from cybercriminals (45%), accidental data breaches by employees (40%), and spear phishing (39%).

19. The accidental exposure of data on the web compromised a whopping 13.5 billion records.

(Security Magazine)

It turns out organizations should be more attentive to accidental cybercrime trends. For example, the business is at risk when employees unintentionally forget to encrypt sensitive data via file sharing and email.

Needless to say, these situations are avoidable if companies implement strict Internet security protocols and educate employees about Internet security.

20. Businesses can save an average of $1.12 million if they can contain a breach in less than 200 days.

(Blumira)

That’s why digital security facts suggest that businesses need to invest in high-quality security tools and systems; they help detect threats, allowing enterprises to take prompt actions as soon as the signal for a breach is received. Subsequently, the financial loss is mitigated.

21. In 2019, 45% of global breaches featured hacking.

(Statista)

Cybercriminals use different tactics to victimize people. Some even use psychological manipulation to deceive people into giving information.

Although it comprised a huge pile of cybersafety incidents, a cybersecurity report found that errors and social attacks were the second most prevalent cause of breaches (22%). Moreover, malware attacks accounted for 17% of cyberattacks worldwide.

22. Cyberattacks on financial institutions exposed an average of 352,771 sensitive files in 2020, as data theft statistics show.

(Polymer)

In 2020, the average financial services employee had access to about 11 million files, while large organizations’ employees could access 20 million files.

In addition, cyberwarfare statistics find that 40% of global cyber espionage happens in the finance, information, and healthcare sectors.

It is clear that cybercriminals are getting better with their tactics and methods. Therefore, this calls for financial businesses to reinforce their intranet, antivirus software, malware identifier, and other security solutions.

23. Computer crime statistics note that cybercrime will hit $10.5 trillion in annual profit by 2025.

(Cybersecurity Ventures)

The emerging trends in e-commerce, remote work, e-courses, and digital business will change people’s behavior about doing business.

Along with the convenience of online commerce comes the risk of cyberattacks and a higher cybercrime rate, cyberattack data affirms.

As people voluntarily give out information to more online businesses, the possibility of exposing sensitive data also rises. Cybercrime statistics worldwide show that cybercrime is projected to be one of the largest economies in the world next year.

Must-Know Facts About Cybersecurity Jobs

24. The global cybersecurity workforce gap hit 2.72 million in 2021.

(ISC)

According to the cybersecurity numbers, the gap in the cybersecurity workforce persists despite 700,000 professionals who joined the digital security workforce last year.

This shortage can be attributed to many factors, including the fact that the field is constantly evolving and there is a lack of qualified workers.

25. 59% of organizations are at moderate or extreme cyberthreat due to the workforce gap.

(University of San Diego)

In a survey conducted by the University of San Diego, more than half of respondents declared that their organizations are at risk of cyberattacks because of the lack of personnel.

These cybersecurity trends on the scarcity of cybersecurity talents are causing unease. On the flip side, cybersecurity data reveals that because of the unmet demand for jobs, people who aim to build a career in the cybersecurity sector will have the best options at work.

26. 46% of cybersecurity professionals are contacted by recruiters weekly, no matter if they’re looking for a job.

(University of San Diego)

Issues aside, people with a cybersecurity background don’t have to worry about getting a job. According to cybersecurity trends, there are multiple job openings but not enough people to take over.

That’s why recruiters typically reach out to individuals with IT or computer skills to offer them jobs. Because of this, there’s currently a 0% unemployment rate in this sector.

27. The Asia-Pacific region has the highest shortage of cybersecurity workers at 2.14 million.

(University of San Diego)

In line with these cybersecurity statistics, the Asia-Pacific region must bridge the widest cybersecurity workers’ gap. While increasing the number of employees seems to be the best course of action to fill the skills gap, there are also other ways.

Some examples are conducting cybersecurity training for new hires, opening avenues for professional development within the company, and investing in cyber technologies.

Cybersecurity Statistics From 2021

28. In 2021, the average ransomware payment soared to $570,000—a 518% increase from the previous year.

(GRC World Forums)

Ransomware attacks have become increasingly common as criminals want to take advantage of the growing dependence on technology.

So, companies feel the pinch as ransomware attacks become more sophisticated and costly.

29. There were 4,145 publicly disclosed data breaches in 2021—a 5% decrease from 2020.

(Flashpoint)

However, information security statistics reveal that this still accounts for over 22 billion records being exposed, making it the second highest year for the amount of confidential data compromised. Most of these breaches (2,932) took place in the United States.

30. The cost of data theft has risen from $3.86 million in 2020 to $4.24 million in 2021.

(Cyber Talk)

Info on data breaches per year implies that this is the highest cost in the 17 years that the institute has been tracking data breaches.

Data breaches have become increasingly common in recent years, as hackers have become more sophisticated and businesses rely more on digital data.

31. Cybersecurity insurance trends confirm that US cyber insurance pricing increased approximately 96% in 2021.

(Marsh)

Cybersecurity reports note this is primarily due to the increasing number of data breaches and cyberattacks carried out in recent years.

While the cost of cyber insurance is still relatively low compared to other types of insurance, it is likely to continue to rise as the frequency and severity of cyberattacks increase.

Companies looking to purchase cyber insurance should be prepared to pay significantly higher rates than they did in the past.

Cybersecurity Facts: Conclusion

Businesses should seriously take cybersecurity to cement the trust of their clients. As threats affect more people daily, it’s high time organizations invest in their information security systems and believe in the cybersecurity impact.

In fact, according to cyberprofessionals, there are only two types of online businesses: one that’s been hacked and the other waiting to be hacked. Therefore, cybersecurity investments should not be overlooked.

All in all, these spending trends in cybersecurity are on the rise, and these stats only prove that the Internet is becoming a precarious place.

With the vast gap in the cybersecurity workforce and incidents moving upward, is cybercrime an online epidemic waiting to happen? We don’t know for sure. But it’s certain that businesses and Internet users should work hand-in-hand to secure their information on the web.

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