Mobile device infection vectors have expanded and bypassed security protections, placing malicious apps in official app stores. One threat actor used an international corporation’s Mobile Device Management system to distribute malware to more than 75% of its managed mobile devices.
(Source: Check Point)
By 2023, cybercriminals will steal 33 billion records.
(Source: Norton Security)
The number of ransomware victims grew by almost 100% in the first half of 2021. The manufacturing industry remains the most targeted – accounting for 30% of attacks.
(Source: Cognyte)
Around 1 in 15 people experience some type of identity theft every year – and children are 51 times more likely to become victims.
(Source: Identity Force)
Average ransomware demands surged by 518% in the first half of 2021, compared to 2020, while payments climbed by 82% in the same period. The highest payment this year was a record $570,000.
(Source: Unit 42)
An average of 4,800 websites a month are compromised with form-jacking code.
(Source: Symantec)
Data breaches in the first half of 2021 exposed 18.8 billion records due to 1,767 publicly reported breaches. In the first quarter of 2020 that number was just 8.4 billion.
(Source: Risk Based Security)
There are upwards of 15 billion credentials available on cybercriminal marketplaces.
(Source: Digital Shadows)
of companies have more than 1,000 folders with inconsistent permissions.
(Source: Varonis)
There are approximately 300 billion passwords out there today – that’s an average of 38.4 passwords per person worldwide.
(Source: SC Magazine)
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More mobile device infection
33 billion records stolen
100% increase in ransomware victims
1 in 15 people experience identity theft
518% increase in ransomware demands
4,800 compromised websites
18.8 billion records exposed
15 billion credentials for sale
1,000+ folder permission errors
300 billion passwords worldwide
Of course, as we continue to stay home and move further
into a virtual era, our digital footprints are growing.
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More cloud and data attacks
200,000 cyberattacks per week
Increased reliance on public cloud storage has led to an increase in attacks targeting sensitive cloud workloads and data.
(Source: Check Point)
Cyber activities like phishing, malware and ransomware grew from fewer than 5,000 per week in early 2020 to more than 200,000 per week in late April 2021. attacks.
(Source: Reuters)
Domain Name System (DNS) attacks
IoT devices per U.S. household
40% of budget allocated for cybersecurity
Cybercriminals attacking job seekers
Unemployment records at risk
4x more supply chain attacks
2x more attacks on online retailers
Attackers are changing Domain Name System (DNS) settings in routers, pointing users to what they believe to be legitimate websites with a pop-up message containing COVID-19 information. However, once a user clicks, a fake app with malware may be downloaded.
(Source: BitDefender)
788% increase in bad bot traffic
1 million stolen credit card numbers
43% target SMBs
2 to 4 attacks per SMB
70% SMBs unprepared for a cyberattack
85% of puppy pictures are a scam
47% of all vulnerable devices on home networks are cameras. But don’t blame just your camera. An average U.S. household has 17 IoT devices, and most of them have some kind of vulnerability.
(Source: ZDNet)
The good news is that 56% of IT leaders will allocate more than 40% of their IT budgets to cybersecurity this year in an effort to prevent these breaches. Read how to properly protect remote workforces.
(Source: Syntax)
For example, ransomware operators are demanding more from their victims.
And, identity theft continues to be a substantial part of cyberattacks each and every year.
Of course, the advent of COVID-19 opened the door for many new (or evolved) types of cyberattacks – and the continuation of a remote workforce can complicate the matter.
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the work-from-home crowd.
Cybercriminals are still taking advantage of unemployment benefits across the United States. In a spear-phishing campaign, hackers send out fake resumes from purported job-seekers that actually spread banking credential-stealing malware.
(Source: RiskIQ)
Many states have warned unemployment applicants that their personal information may have been leaked. The exposed information included names, full social security numbers, banking details, addresses, number of dependents and more.
(Source: Forbes.com)
With an already low inventory and ongoing pandemic-based supply chain woes, the last thing retailers need this year are supply chain cyberattacks. But experts predict these attacks will actually quadruple this year versus last.
(Source: Cyber Risk Leaders)
Here’s a little tip, start your holiday shopping a little bit earlier this year.
Online retailers experienced more than twice as many account takeover (ATO) attempts as all other sectors in 2020.
(Source: Security Boulevard)
And in October 2020, there was a 788% increase in bad bot traffic to retail websites, coinciding with the launch of popular new gaming consoles and sales through Black Friday.
(Source: Imperva)
Recently, 1 million stolen credit card numbers were leaked on hacking forums in an attempt to promote a new criminal carding marketplace. The consequences for online retailers are significant.
(Source: Bleeping Computer)
In fact, 43% of cyberattacks target small business.
It’s not just the large enterprise organizations that fall victim to cyberattacks – these are just the cases you see on the news.
47% of small businesses had at least one cyberattack in the past year, and 44% of those experienced two to four attacks.
More often than not, small businesses cannot survive these attacks. 70% of small businesses are unprepared to deal with a cyberattack.
(Source: PurpleSec)
Sadly, nearly 85% of people who post pictures of puppies online are apparently just trying to scam you out of money – charging victims for a pet that doesn’t even exist.
(Source: Better Business Bureau)
Even puppies can’t be trusted.
The last few years have been technology’s time to shine – for many reasons. Daily life, once conducted mostly in person, went completely virtual and back again to a sort of hybrid lifestyle. But while the upstanding citizens of the world try to navigate this new way of living, the bad actors have upped their game – and are expanding their base.
One of the major themes of CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity 2021 report is complexity. As IT systems become more complex, so must cybersecurity solutions. As companies separate cybersecurity from overall IT operations, they can find success by structuring their approach around policy, processes, people and products.
Research conducted by Cybernews suggests a huge uptick in in hacking and cybercrime since the start of the pandemic. In fact, their review of Google search trends indicates that during the months of March, April and May 2020, online searches related to hacking, scamming and other forms of cybercrime skyrocketed. Additionally, visits to popular hacking websites and forums increased by 66% in March 2020 alone.
Unfortunately, that interest has only continued to grow since then. Here’s the 2021 story, so far.
Of course, as we continue to stay home and move further into a virtual era, our digital footprints are growing.
The truth is large-scale
cybersecurity breaches are growing in both intensity and
frequency this year.
70%
58%