October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM), and a lot of great information, highlighting tips and best practices, has been shared to inform businesses and individuals. In support of #CyberAware, we’ve compiled a selection of interesting statistics and insights about cyber security incidents and threat vectors.
At-a-glance:
- Cyber security incidents have surged 38% since 2014.
- Malicious cyber attacks cost US $300 B to US $ 1Trillion a year!
- Data breaches average $154 per record, while the average cost per data breach has reached $3.79MM.
- Attackers often have more than 200 days before being discovered.
- Privilege misuse is #3 out of nine attack patterns found in 96% of all breaches, according to the 2015 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report.
- While deal makers are generally aware of the effect that cyber security risks can have on a pending M&A deal, 78 percent “believe cyber security is not analyzed in great depth or specifically quantified as part of the M&A due diligence process.”
- Asked which stage of an attack is the most difficult to mitigate: 61 percent of IT security executives cited privileged account takeover; versus 44 percent in 2014.
The cyber security disconnect:
- 80 percent of board members say that cyber security is discussed at most or all board meetings, yet, two-thirds of CIOs and CISOs say senior leaders in their organization don’t view cyber security as a strategic priority.
- Despite almost daily reports revealing the contrary, 44% of organizations still believe they can keep attackers off their network entirely.
- 28% of organizations claim to have a “problematic” shortage of cyber security skills today.
The National Cyber Security Alliance has put together a helpful list of free resources to help organizations and individuals stay safe online. For tips on how to protect your organization’s most valuable assets be sure to visit the CyberArk Resource Center.
