What You Need To Know For 2021
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The year 2020 broke all records when it came to data lost in breaches and sheer numbers of cyber-attacks on companies, government, and individuals. In addition, the sophistication of threats increased from the application of emerging technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and 5G, and especially from greater tactical cooperation among hacker groups and state actors. The recent Solar Winds attack, among others, highlighted both the threat and sophistication of those realities.
The following informational links are compiled from recent statistics pulled from a variety of articles and blogs. As we head deeper into 2021, it is worth exploring these statistics and their potential cybersecurity implications in our changing digital landscape.
To make the information more useable, I have broken down the cybersecurity statistics in several categories, including Top Resources for Cybersecurity Stats, The State of Cybersecurity Readiness, Types of Cyber-threats, The Economics of Cybersecurity, and Data at Risk.
There are many other categories of cybersecurity that do need a deeper dive, including perspectives on The Cloud, Internet of Things, Open Source, Deep Fakes, the lack of qualified Cyber workers, and stats on many other types of cyber-attacks. The resources below help cover those various categories.
Top Resources for Cybersecurity Stats:
If you are interested in seeing comprehensive and timely updates on cybersecurity statistics, I highly recommend you bookmark these aggregation sites:
300+ Terrifying Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Statistics & Trends (2021 EDITION) 300+ Terrifying Cybercrime & Cybersecurity Statistics [2021 EDITION] (comparitech.com)·
134 Cybersecurity Statistics and Trends for 2021 134 Cybersecurity Statistics and Trends for 2021 | Varonis
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The State of Cybersecurity Readiness:
Despite all the warnings and high-profile breaches, that state of readiness for most when it comes to cybersecurity is dismal. The need for better cyber-hygiene is evident from using stronger passwords, patching software, employing multi-factor authentication and many other important security steps. The reality is reflected in the stats below.
78% Lack Confidence in Their Company’s Cybersecurity Posture 78% Lack Confidence in Their Company’s Cybersecurity Posture, Prompting 91% to Increase 2021 Budgets (yahoo.com)
On average, only 5% of companies’ folders are properly protected. 2019 Global Data Risk Report | Varonis
Cyber Attacks More Likely to Bring Down F-35 Jets Than Missiles “In our ever-increasing digitalized world of cybersecurity, threats keep growing.Take the F-35 fighter jet, for instance. It’s been called the “flying computer” thanks to its myriad new contraptions that include AI-like sensor fusion, 360-degree camera views, improved data links, a database of threat information at-the-ready, and a highly advanced computerized logistics systems.” Cyber Attacks More Likely to Bring Down an F-35 Than Missiles | IE (interestingengineering.com)
Nearly 80% of senior IT and IT security leaders believe their organizations lack sufficient protection against cyberattacks despite increased IT security investments made in 2020 to deal with distributed IT and work-from-home challenges, according to a…
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