Statistics on hacking

Hacking statistics from the FBI reveal that phishing is the top internet crime that victims complain about. Phishing attempts to imitate top brands to lure users into clicking on a malicious link.

On the other hand, other reports point to various forms of malware used in data breaches like ransomware and infostealers. After all, it can be risky, especially in regions where cybersecurity laws are strict. For some, this risk is worth taking depending on their motivation. In most cases, it is for financial gain or corporate espionage. However, there are also those who simply hack to participate in bug bounty programs, to learn new techniques, or even to carry out political motives.

Currently, the financial impact of internet crimes in the US amount to billions in losses. In the next five years, cybercrime losses will amount to trillions worldwide.

Online payment fraud and hacking of cryptocurrency exchanges will likely be more prevalent, adding to the growing list of cybercrime trends. One way for individuals to avoid being victimized by hackers is to use strong passwords. While most data breaches are attributed to hacking or malware attacks, other breach methods include insider leaks, payment card fraud, loss or theft of a physical hard drive of files and human error. The most common cyber attacks used in data breaches are outlined below.

Ransomware is software that gains access to and locks down access to vital data. Files and systems are locked down and a fee is demanded commonly in the form of cryptocurrency. The malware is designed to harm your computer or software and commonly masquerades as a warning against harmful software. Malware can penetrate your computer when you are navigating hacked websites, downloading infected files or opening emails from a device that lacks anti-malware security.

Phishing scams are one of the most common ways hackers gain access to sensitive or confidential information. Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from a reputable company, with the goal of deceiving recipients into either clicking on a malicious link or downloading an infected attachment, usually to steal financial or confidential information.

Denial of Service is a cyber-attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services of a host connected to the Internet. It is typically accomplished by flooding the targeted machine or resource with superfluous requests in an attempt to overload systems and prevent some or all legitimate requests from being fulfilled. This data indicates the recency and widespread impact data breaches are having on compromising sensitive information.

This opened the pathway for cybercriminals who were able to target vulnerable victims in the healthcare industry, as well as those who were unemployed or remote workers. Here are a few of the most impactful data breach statistics related to the pandemic. There are many factors to consider when preparing for and managing a data breach, like the amount of time it takes to respond to a data breach and the reputational impact it has on your company.

Read below to see how breaches happen, average response times and other crucial information. To calculate the average cost of a data breach, security institutes collect both the direct and indirect expenses suffered by the breached organization.

Direct expenses include forensic experts, hotline support and providing free credit monitoring subscriptions and potential settlements. See just how expensive it is to experience a breach and what elements cause the cost to rise. This data, in particular, validates the reason to invest in preventative data security. Here are a few of the most impactful cybersecurity statics related to the pandemic.

As rates of cyber attacks increase, so does demand for cybersecurity professionals and, thankfully, cybersecurity budgets continue to rise.

However, the imbalance of the amount of skilled cybersecurity workers along with the high demand to fill cybersecurity positions has caused a cybersecurity skills shortage that sees no end in sight. Interested in entering the field?

Now is the time as the job field and average salary is only projected to grow. Looking for cybersecurity talent? Best of luck, it may be necessary to come up with creative cybersecurity skills shortage solutions — like outsourcing tasks, starting apprenticeships and partnerships with educational and military institutions to find fresh talent.

Below is a visual guide of some of the most important facts and figures that shape the cybersecurity field. Interested to see how the landscape has changed? Click the button below to see our visual data compilation. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about cybersecurity, with answers supported by more cybersecurity statistics and facts. Equifax, Capital One, and Facebook just to name a few.

The lowest point occurring up to 14 market days after a breach. Finance and payment companies saw the largest drop in share performance post-breach according to Comparitech. Cybercrime is one of the greatest threats. Individual users like you and me are also targets. During the next five years, cybercrime might become the greatest threat to every person, place and thing in the world.