Information security in numbers

[Демитрий]

Information security in numbers

Cybersecurity issues are gradually becoming a headache for businesses that they have to deal with every day. Recently, the number of data leaks and thefts has increased enormously, and such leaks are increasingly occurring in workplaces, mobile and IoT devices. We have chosen 60 major trends in information security, which is simply necessary for any manager or employee who may be faced with cybersecurity problems in one way or another.

Introduction
How serious is the potential risk of hacking for the company if basic safety measures are not followed - this is the main question, the answer to which we will try to consider in detail. According to recent studies, most companies have insecure data, and some information security practices leave much to be desired. Naturally, this approach makes them vulnerable to targeted attacks.

The problem of data leakage in numbers
Judging by the trends that have been clearly observed in recent years, not only the number of data leaks is growing, but also their scale. Previously, such monstrous leaks in terms of volumes seemed somewhat unrealistic, but now there are several such incidents. Moreover, the largest corporations act as a victim, the cybersecurity of which, it would seem, should not be in question.

Here are a few numbers to make the picture clear:

1. In 2016, it turned out that the data of 3 billion Yahoo accounts fell into the hands of attackers. Until now, this leak is rightfully considered one of the most high-profile and serious in recent years.
2. Also in 2016, Uber reported that cybercriminals gained access to customer and driver information, which totaled more than 57 million records.
3. In 2017, 412 million FriendFinder adult user accounts were also stolen during a cyber attack.
4. 2017 was also marked by the largest compromise of data of 147.9 million Americans due to hacking Equifax credit bureau. Attackers used a vulnerability in the application’s security system on the company’s website and gained access to social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and in some cases, driver’s license numbers.
5. In general, according to statistics for 2017, more than 130 large-scale leaks as a result of targeted cyber attacks occurred in the United States. This indicator for the year increased by 27%.
6. 31% of organizations experienced cyber attacks on operational technology infrastructure. Cisco presented such data in its report.
7. More than 400,000 computers in at least 150 countries were affected by the WannaCry virus in 2017. This ransomware cost the world $ 4 billion in losses.
8. The number of crypto-jacking attacks last year grew by 8,500%.
9. 5.4 billion WannaCry attacks were blocked for the entire 2017. About 24,000 mobile malware applications are blocked daily.
10. About 24,000 malicious mobile applications are blocked daily.
11. In 2017, the average number of compromised data across the country was 24,089. The largest number of leaks occurred in India (more than 33 thousand files), the second was America (28.5 thousand).
12. In March 2018, user data from the MyFitnessPal mobile app was stolen. The American company Under Armor, which owns this application, reported about 150 million victims.
13. From January 1, 2005 to April 18, 2018, 8,854 cases of leaks were recorded.

Cybersecurity costs in numbers
The average cost of recovering from leaks and cyber attacks has risen sharply, and the costs associated with cybercrime can harm companies that have not bothered to invest part of their budget in cybersecurity. Just look at these numbers:

1. In 2017, expenses due to cybercrime increased by 23% compared to 2016. On average, this amount is 11.7 million dollars.
2. The average amount of company losses caused by a malware attack is $ 2.4 million.
3. If we talk about time, one attack is on average equal to 50 days of inactivity for the company.
4. From 2016 to 2017, cybersecurity spending increased by 22.7%.
5. The average amount of damage from cybercrime worldwide has grown by more than 27%.
6. The most expensive aspect of cyber attacks for enterprises is the loss of information. It accounts for 43% of all costs caused by intruders.
7. In 2017, losses from ransomware attacks exceeded $ 5 billion. This is 15 times more than the same amount recorded in 2015.
8. The leak of Equifax in total cost the credit bureau more than $ 4 billion. The average cost of lost or stolen data per person is $ 141, but it should be borne in mind that this amount varies greatly depending on the country.
9. The most expensive leaks in the US are $ 225, and Canada is $ 190.
10. For companies with more than 50,000 compromised data, the average cost of losses is $ 6.3 million.
11. Problems with customers and reputation due to leaks hit American companies the most - $ 4.13 million loss on average per US company.
12. According to forecasts, by 2021, the damage from cybercrime will reach $ 6 trillion.

A Few More Cybersecurity Facts and Figures
It is crucial for a business to understand the overall metrics related to cybersecurity issues. For example, what types of cyberattacks are the most common, as well as how they are carried out and where they come from.

1. A greater percentage of the ransomware detection was recorded in countries with the most accessible Internet for the population. The USA holds the first place among them with 18.2% of all attacks of malicious programs of this type.
2. The famous Ramnit Trojan has largely affected the financial sector. In 2017, 53% of Ramnit attacks fell on this particular industry.
3. Most malicious domains (about 60%) are associated with spam campaigns.
4. 74% of companies have more than 1000 outdated sensitive files.
5. Malicious programs and network attacks are two of the most unprofitable for companies such as attacks. Organizations spent an average of $ 2.4 million to defend against them.
6. The financial services industry makes the most of everything related to cybercrime. On average, they charge $ 18.3 million from the company.
7. Microsoft Office files (for example, Word, PowerPoint and Excel) represent the most common group of malicious extensions - 38% of the total.
8. About 20% of malicious domains are completely new; they are used approximately a week after their registration.
9. More than 20% of cyberattacks in 2017 were committed from China, 11% from the United States and 6% from Russia.
10. The largest percentage of applications with cybersecurity problems are the so-called lifestyle applications. Of these, 27% are malicious. Among applications for music and audio malicious 20%.
11. Most often, malicious applications merge phone numbers (63%) to cybercriminals, followed by the device’s location (37%).
12. Last year, targeted phishing became the main vector of malware distribution. 71% of cybercriminal groups used this method.
13. Between 2015 and 2017, the United States suffered the most from targeted cyberattacks - 303 large-scale attacks were recorded.
14. In 2017, the total volume of malware grew by 88 percent.
15. Among the most detectable malware are Heur.AdvML.C, Heur.AdvML.B and JS.Downloader.
16. By 2020, the number of passwords used by people and machines will grow to 300 billion.

Source: Information security in numbers