As a result of a major shift towards remote working and increased reliance on online communication in the last few months, cyber security is more topical than ever. As mentioned in our last blog post, cyber crime is on the rise as businesses have been left vulnerable. At Cyber Science 2020, a variety of industry and research leaders from the areas of cyber security, risk, situational awareness and social media will gather to share their insights and knowledge from June 15th to 19th. In preparation for the conference, we decided to gather 10 interesting cyber crime and cyber security statistics that we’ve seen so far in 2020.
1. 46% of businesses have experienced a cyber threat since lockdown
Almost half of global businesses (46%) have encountered at least one cyber security scare since pivoting to a remote working model amidst the Covid-19 lockdown. According to a survey conducted by Barracuda.
2. Google reported 18 million daily malware and phishing mails in the space of a week
Google reported to have seen 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to Covid-19 in the space of a week. The most common examples Google detected were emails impersonating authoritative government organisations such as the WHO or emails impersonating managers sending messages to employees related to working from home.
3. Cyber Crime surged by 86% in India since lockdown
Cybercrime surged by unprecedented levels in India by 86% between March and April 2020 amidst lockdown. One of the most scandalous incidents involve police in Mumbai launching an investigation to locate cyber criminals who tried to sell the world’s tallest statue, the statue of Unity, for $4 billion. The fraudsters claimed that the proceeds would go towards helping the government fight against Covid-19.
4. Cyber attacks to healthcare organisations has doubled
The current pandemic has provided the perfect opportunity for cyber criminals to attack the already vulnerable healthcare industry. Cyber-attacks to healthcare organisations doubled from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020.
5. Hackers attack every 39 seconds
In a study carried out by the University of Maryland, results showed that hackers attack on average every 39 seconds or 2,244 times a day. The study showed that the vast majority of cyber attacks came from relatively unsophisticated cyber criminals who used “dictionary scripts.” This is a type of software that runs through lists of common usernames and passwords attempting to break into computers.
6. Average cost of a data breach is $3.9 million
The global average cost of a data breach is $3.9 million, according to IBM. This figure is an increase from $3.86m as reported by their 2018 study.
7. Cyber Incident response teams reduce data breach costs by $360,000
It has been proved that the establishment of a cyber incident response team reduces the cost of a data breach by an average of $360,000, according to IBM.
8. It takes 279 days to handle a breach
On average, it takes 279 days to identify and contain a breach.
9. Only 5% of organisations have protected folders
In a report by Varonis which analysed 785 organisations across over 30 industries, only 5% out of 4.3 billion of companies’ folders were protected. Addtionally, 53% of companies were found to have 1,000 sensitive files open to every employee.
10. 64% of Americans don’t know how to handle a data breach
According to Varonis, 64% of Americans don’t know what to do after they experience a data breach. Additionally, most have never even checked to see if their data was compromised during any major data breaches that have occurred.
As lockdown measures and the spread of Covid-19 continues, we’re certain that some of these figures may significantly increase by the end of 2020. Some of the issues outlined here are just a snippet into what you can expect to hear at Cyber Science 2020, as we bring together cyber security experts from all around the globe. You can join us too from anywhere around the world as Cyber Science goes virtual for the first time ever. Be a part of a discussion of all things Cyber Security when it’s more important than ever. Registrations for attendees is now open, don’t miss out and register online today!