Do you want to get your credentials protected online, especially your computers, against hacking? This article provides you with top cybersecurity statistics and trends to help you understand how it works.
When it comes to using the internet, cyber security is now a need. Imagine it as a home security system or automated door lock. You wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked so that burglars could walk right in; the same logic should be used to your computer.
If you’re a company owner, you don’t want your sensitive information floating about the deep web. This means you should acquire cyber insurance, set up a firewall, and use antivirus software.
I have compiled the most recent data on cyber security threats so you can prepare for them.
Top 40 Cybersecurity Statistics and trends
General Cybersecurity Statistics
1. To get the resources they need, hackers just need to spend one dollar.
One easy explanation for the growth in hacking statistics is that it has never been cheaper to enter the hacking profession. Malware toolkits range in price from as little as 1 USD to several thousand dollars, yet even the most basic ones are accessible for a very little outlay. Data is also on sale; for about 25,000 USD, you can buy a million stolen login credentials or email addresses.
2. There has been a 39 percent increase in DDoS assaults over the last year.
According to data, DDoS attacks are being used by cybercriminals at alarming rates. Attacks utilizing between 100 and 400 Gbps of data increased by 776 percent in just one year. Such assaults often aim at wireless and satellite communications providers.
3. Attacks of up to 1.3 gigabytes per second were recorded as the greatest DDoS to date.
GitHub, a website for hosting code, was taken down in February 2018 due to a DDoS assault. The hackers were transferring 1.3 TB of data, the equivalent of 127 million packets each second. Ten minutes passed during the assault.
4. The prevalence of cryptojacking is decreasing.
There has been a 52 percent decrease in the prevalence of cryptojacking during 2018. This practice exploits compromised computers to mine bitcoins. There is a correlation between the rise of anti-malware technology and the decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, according to data on cyber security risks.
5. Each year, 76 billion USD in illicit operations includes Bitcoin.
Some bad things have happened with the most widely used cryptocurrency. When engaging in criminal activity, the anonymity provided by crypto transactions is a welcome bonus. Twenty-five percent of Bitcoin users, according to estimates from experts. have participated in an illicit activity at some point.
6. Phishing is the source of more than 90 percent of assaults against organizations.
By delving into the data on phishing attacks, we can see why this technique is still the most often used. It does what it says. It works a bit too well – not because it’s intelligent or complicated, but because it exploits human nature.
7. 37 percent of all cyberattacks against corporations are phishing-related.
Phishing is the root cause of around 35 percent of all cyberattacks against enterprises. These social engineering assaults depend on the victim’s gullibility to succeed; hackers trick them into opening infected emails by making them seem to come from reputable organizations.
8. The United States has a 10 percent reporting rate for cyberattacks.
Although the US is the center of the internet and the home of several IT corporations, cybercrime is seldom discussed in the media. The reason for this is that it is sometimes very difficult, if not impossible, to show that a cybercrime occurred. As a result, estimates of cybercrime are likely to be much lower than the true incidence.
9. Over half of all cybercrime assaults globally are expected to target the United States over the next five years, according to analysts.
US businesses should investigate how to better protect themselves against cybercrime. Based on data and forecasts, the United States is expected to be the primary target of cybercrime in the near future. Ransomware and other recent breaches in cyber security are warning signals of a rising danger.
10. Every 39 seconds, a new cyberattack is launched.
This year’s cyber security statistics indicated that an unsecured machine on the internet is susceptible to more than 2,000 cyberattacks each day. Institution-focused hackers often use automated scripts and tools to test their targets for security flaws rather than relying on human expertise.
11. Every year, cybercriminals strike one out of every ten small companies.
Cybersecurity data suggests that even if you manage a small business, you should prioritize protecting your firm from cyber threats. Hacking attacks on businesses are becoming as common as automobile accidents. Almost half of those businesses report financial losses as a result of service disruptions.
12. Every 14 seconds, another business becomes the victim of a ransomware assault.
Ransomware is the most profitable kind of malware for cybercriminals. As a result, it’s not surprising that these kinds of assaults have become the norm and that they affect businesses of all sizes. At a rate of four per minute, these assaults occur somewhere around the globe every single minute.
Market Statistics of Cybersecurity
13. Hacking services may cost businesses as much as 500k USD.
“White hat” hackers are those who don’t put their knowledge to bad use. They choose to be independent contractors that assist businesses like Tesla improve their IT infrastructure. Several businesses openly offer rewards to hackers who successfully exploit security flaws in their systems, sometimes amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
14. Experts predict that by 2025, the cyber insurance business will be worth 20 billion USD.
Increasing demand for cyber insurance may soon propel market values to dizzying heights. In just five years, businesses in the United States are expected to drive most of the growth, according to analysts.
15. Approximately one-third of US-based businesses have cyber liability insurance in case of a data breach.
If a corporation’s firewalls and other security measures are breached, the company might still get its money back, thanks to cyber insurance. According to the most recent data on cyber security, 68 percent of businesses have no cyber liability at all. Another 25 percent report having serious intentions of buying coverage within the next 12 months.
16. The 2019 budget for cybersecurity in the United States is15 a billion USD.
When it comes to protecting the nation’s digital infrastructure, President Donald Trump spares no money. The 2019 budget for US federal cybersecurity spending is 583 million USD (a 4.1 percent increase over 2018). Naturally, the largest portion goes to the Department of Defense.
17. Every year, JPMorgan Chase invests 600 million USD towards cybersecurity.
In contrast, JPMorgan employs more than 3,000 individuals in its cybersecurity area, all of whom contribute in some manner to the bank’s defenses against cyberattacks. The company has also allocated an additional 100 million USD to cybersecurity this year.
18. Every year, Microsoft spends 1 billion USD on improving its cybersecurity.
The Redmond, Washington-based organization maintains its battle against contemporary cyber security risks, confirming that cybercrime is the biggest problem of the digital era. Microsoft has not expanded its security budget to cover acquisitions and mergers in the cybersecurity sector.
19. A majority of companies with under 500 employees spend less than 500 USD annually on cybersecurity.
Many smaller businesses do not worry much about cyber security. They account for 13 percent of the market now and typically choose consumer-grade security solutions. That’s bad news since it implies these businesses are prime targets for ransomware and other forms of cyberattack. As the statistics on cybercrime show, small businesses provide rich pickings for criminals.
20. The total amount spent on cyber security worldwide reached 1 trillion USD that year.
The market for cybersecurity goods and services is projected to rise by 12 percent this year, reaching 124 billion USD in sales by year’s end. The state of cybersecurity in 2018 continued its upward trend from the previous year. The proliferation of cybercrime is the primary factor fueling expansion, guaranteeing a continuous flow of revenue for the sector in the years to come.
21. It is predicted that by 2024, the cybersecurity industry will be worth 300 billion USD.
The worldwide cybersecurity industry was valued at 120 billion USD in 2017, and this number is expected to increase rapidly in the next years. A rise in the need for security measures and goods means it can easily double or quadruple in the next five years.
Cost and Damage Statistics of Cybercrime
22. Each month, form-jacking assaults cost an average of 2.2 million USD.
About 4.8K websites are compromised each month due to form-jackers, which enable hackers to obtain sensitive information such as credit card details and passwords. While over 3.7 million were prevented in 2018, the rate of assaults remains high.
23. In the year 2018, the healthcare sector was the victim of ransomware attacks at a rate of one every other day.
The healthcare business has the worst ransomware statistics of any other sector. Since 2018, there has been a rise in ransomware attacks on businesses in this sector. Researchers predicted that malware assaults on healthcare facilities were to increase by a factor of four between 2018 and 2020.
24. The ransomware assault cost the city of Atlanta 17 million USD to fix.
SamSam malware struck Atlanta in early 2018. The municipal council voted down the hackers’51,000 USD ransom demand. Loss of data, such as police records and a 3rd of the city’s software, caused the original estimate of damage to climb six-fold, reaching 6 million USD.
25. US businesses are the least likely in the world to pay demands from hackers.
When it comes to ransomware, “don’t bargain with terrorists” has become a slogan for American businesses. Only 3 percent of US businesses gave hackers the money they demanded as a ransom. Companies in Canada are the most likely to pay a ransom to cybercriminals, at 77 percent, followed by those in the United Kingdom at 42 percent.
26. more than 300 million USD in losses were caused by a ransomware assault against FedEx.
One of the top shipping firms had a 79-cent decline in share price after a cyberattack. According to 2017 data, the damage from this cyber assault was 40 times more than that caused by Hurricane Harvey.
27. The average yearly loss attributable to cybercrime for businesses is 188,400 USD.
Each year, more and more companies, both large and small, report losing financial results. Cyber assaults cost businesses both time and money as they work to prevent such attacks and recover from those that do succeed in getting through. For 97 percent of small enterprises, their cyber insurance was adequate to cover the expenditures.
28. By 2021, the cost of cybercrime each year is projected to reach 6 trillion USD.
As of now, 2 trillion USD in damage has been incurred due to cybersecurity risks. However, forecasts painted by data on cybercrimes are gloomy. Cybercrime is expected to generate enormous losses across almost all sectors that rely on computers and the internet to conduct daily operations, with some experts predicting that this harm can easily increase in just two years.
Cybersecurity Data Breach Statistics
29. Every second, 95 login credentials are stolen.
Over three billion usernames and passwords are compromised every year, mostly as a result of malware and data breaches. The majority of services, including online banking, now demand that users regularly change their passwords, and security experts advise using a separate password for each platform.
30. According to Facebook, the current hack damaged 540 million user accounts.
When it comes to cyber assaults, Facebook just can’t seem to get a break. This well-liked social media platform has been the target of at least one recent cyber assault in 2019. Due to the security breach, user names, IDs, comments, and responses were all accessible to the public. Further, it was found that 600 million user passwords were kept in plain text files.
31. Three billion accounts were compromised in the largest security breach in history.
An unprecedented data breach occurred at Yahoo! in 2013. As per data collected from previous cyber security breaches and published in 2017, this incident was the largest in the history of the internet. This year saw the second-largest data breach in history. First American Financial Corp.’s 885 million accounts were the intended target.
32. It was estimated that by 2021, the average cost of a data breach was to be 13 million USD.
Predictions on the frequency of cyber-attacks are not looking good. There will be an increase in both the number of thefts of sensitive information and the amount of money spent on cybersecurity at businesses. Recent hacking incidents demonstrate that cybercriminals are persistent in their quest to breach computer systems.
33. In 2019, security breaches compromised over 4 billion user profiles.
The number of data breaches is increasing. More than 3,000 breaches were reported in the first half of 2019, a 54 percent increase from the same time in 2018. There was a 52 percent increase in the number of data and user accounts compromised as a result of these hacks, unlike the year before.
Facts Statistics of Cybersecurity
34. There are over a thousand sensitive files on the systems of four out of ten businesses.
Personal information such as medical data, Social Security numbers, and even credit card numbers. The problem is that many businesses haven’t taken the necessary precautions to keep hackers out of the files where this information is housed. According to 2019 data on cyber threats to businesses, unencrypted files pose one of the greatest dangers.
35. The majority of businesses (58 percent) with over 100,000 unlocked files are failing to meet regulatory compliance.
There is more than one way to breach a network’s security, and firewalls are merely the first line of protection. If your firm has strong file and folder security, hackers won’t be able to do much damage after they’ve breached your network. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for roughly 60 percent of businesses, leaving them open to a major risk that might have been avoided.
36. Don’t create accounts using the passwords “Root” or “Admin.”
The School of Engineering at the University of Maryland found that hackers usually opt for the easiest targets. Here, we’re talking about the most popular passwords. When installing new hardware or software, it’s excellent practice to alter the default user names and logins since hackers use “dictionary scripts” to rapidly attempt all of the popular logins.
37. The number “123456” is the most often used password.
It’s a pain to have to come up with a different password for every site and service you use, but using the same password for everything makes many accounts vulnerable to hackers. The prevalence and transparency of certain passwords have long been one of the most significant truths in cyber security.
Millions of people use very basic passwords like “qwerty” or a string of digits. There are ten most popular passwords, and “password” and “abc123” are two of them. Obviously, in 2019, a login system like this is no longer sufficient.
38. In the year 2020, there were over 300,000,000,000 generated passwords.
Although attempts are being made to do away with the need for passwords in the future (through biometrics and other forms of cutting-edge technology), we will still be typing passwords for some time. More logins and passwords out in the world mean more opportunities for hackers to steal them.
39. When it comes to security breaches and lapses in protection, human error is still the 39th most common cause.
In 2019, human error was by far the most common reason for cybersecurity incidents. Since it only takes one person to make a mistake to bring the entire system down, it’s important to train staff well and encourage them to adopt good cybersecurity behaviors to lessen the likelihood of an attack.
40. A cybercrime may cause more than just monetary damage to a company’s image.
In today’s interconnected world, businesses have a lot more to lose than just cash. Staff and customers might be affected by a hacking assault owing to the loss of sensitive information. However, this might have repercussions for the company’s public standing as well.
Furthermore, there may be legal complications in the future. According to polls, the financial impact is the main worry for most companies.
FAQ
Q. What is the frequency of cyber-attacks?
Every 39 seconds, companies are hit by a cyberattack. Cyberattacks on companies happen day after day; however, some are more frequent than others and can happen multiple each minute. One such example is ransomware.
Q. How prevalent is phishing as a kind of cyberattack?
Phishing assaults constitute almost a third (37 percent) of all online intrusions. Due to its reliance on victim mistakes, phishing has quickly become the cybercrime strategy of choice. This is also the most successful cyberattack method since it can easily evade detection. Since phishing is deceptive, the greatest defense is informed users who exercise caution online.
Q. What is the annual rate of cybercrime?
There is no reliable information available on the annual number of victims of hacking. When you consider that there are 2.2k cyberattacks per day, that number might easily rise to over 800k.
Q. Approximately how many times each day does cybercrime occur?
According to data on cybercrime compiled by the University of Maryland’s College of Engineering, 2,400 unique assaults occur daily. Ransomware attacks are more common against businesses than they are against individuals. Individual individuals are often targeted by phishing emails and malicious software.
Conclusion
There was no public or commercial sector left untouched by cyberattacks in 2020; they have been ranked as the sixth greatest threat. Cyber assaults against the Internet of Things are projected to increase by themselves between 2020 and 2025, making this an increasingly riskier sector to invest in. In addition, just 0.5 percent of cases are ever brought to trial in the United States, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Risk Report.
If you’re one of the many people who operate a rapidly expanding business, you know that the environment is always shifting and that the year 2020 brought several significant shifts. Business of all sizes was impacted by the epidemic. Cybercrime increased during the pandemic because of the increased uncertainty around remote labor and how to secure your organization.
As a direct consequence of the COVID-19 epidemic, cybercrime, which encompasses anything from theft and embezzlement to hacking and destruction of data, has increased by 600 percent. Almost every sector has been pressured to adopt novel approaches, and businesses have responded by making rapid adjustments.
With the statistics above, I believe that you are now better equipped with cybersecurity knowledge.
