Why am I asking you this? Because the magnitude of the losses caused by the hacker attacks has long since reached the aforementioned amounts. If you have any doubts about the cost-effectiveness of cybercrime, the Security companies’ research, specializing in data protection, networking and information management, shows that the value of the annual damage that hackers do globally has reached as much as $ 100 billion! Most alarmingly, despite the development of the Internet, communication channels and digital technology, the number of hacking attacks on corporate networks is on the rise every year, aimed at stealing and exploiting corporate data. Given that there is an upward trend in business infrastructure connectivity, security companies estimate that the value of average damage resulting from unauthorized entry into the database by 2020 will exceed $ 150 million.
Smaller does not mean safer
Small and medium-sized business owners generally do not implement appropriate security measures because they think that their smaller businesses do not represent a bait for hackers because of their smaller size than the larger companies. Wrong! Aware of their passive approach, hackers use the insecurity of networks of small and medium-sized companies to hack into them and profit from withdrawing money from companies’ accounts, selling data to competitors or blackmailing executives. The only reason we don’t hear or read often in the media about hacking attacks on small and medium-sized companies is that they don’t attract as much “sensationalism” as attacks on gigantic, multinational companies.
Think about it… a hacker attack that damages a major pharmaceutical or technology company with offices around the world, thanks to its global impact, is currently becoming international news. On the other hand, a smaller company operating locally does not represent as much of a media attraction, both because of its limited impact and the lesser value of a potential loss. However, be assured that this “smaller” loss will be more detrimental to the owner of a small or medium-sized company than a significantly greater loss to huge corporations, whose sums of several million euros represent “small money”. Don’t believe it? Ask yourself, then, whether a loss of € 2 million or McDonald’s or your company would suffer a loss of € 200,000.
It’s not just companies that are under attack from hackers
According to the latest world statistics released by Security Companies, cyber-attacks have taken on a worrying scale – every 39 seconds, one hacker attack occurs! To make matters worse, these attacks are not limited to companies and their businesses but are often private users just like you. How is that possible?
The global expansion of digital communication channels such as social networks and various online reservations and registration systems has resulted in the emergence of massive customer databases. This means that your data is “scattered” across the Internet, making it very accessible. In other words, if you are one of the 3 billion people using the Internet, you are “qualified” to become a potential cyber victim. For this reason, any insight into the current state of cybersecurity is a step towards identifying existing threats and the need to take appropriate security measures.
Disturbing statistics
- Every 39 seconds, one hacker attack occurs;
- More than 90% of database intrusions occur in government sectors and the retail and technology industries;
- 43% of cyber attacks affect small businesses: 64% of companies have suffered attacks through web applications, 62% of companies have faced the effects of fishing and social engineering, 59% of companies have encountered malware and botnet, while 51% of companies have felt DDoS attacks;
- Despite the growing trend of connecting business infrastructures, the value of the average damage resulting from the database crash in 2020 will exceed the figure of $ 150 million;
- As of 2013, as a result of breaking into databases, close to 4,000 records are stolen every day, 158,727 every hour, 2,645 every minute and 44 every second;
- At one point, over 75% of the healthcare industry was infected with malware;
- At the end of 2016, the number of DDoS attacks increased by 140%;
- The need for cybersecurity professionals will create new jobs in the IT sector (for example, it is estimated that in America alone, the number of unfilled jobs for that profile will increase to 1.5 million by 2019);
- The Internet of Things continues to bring simpler data sharing but also an increased risk of cyber attacks – the number of connected devices is expected to range between 50 and 200 billion by 2020;
- Only 38% of organizations globally claim to be able to respond to sophisticated cyber-attacks.
Is your company protected?
The financial losses of hundreds of thousands of individual companies, which have become victims of hacking, have aroused their interest in identifying potential cyber threats and taking adequate safeguards. What continues to be a barrier to raising awareness of companies and individual users of the need to take appropriate action is often insufficient information and incomplete understanding of high-tech crime. So be careful and take the first steps to protect your business, big or small.
