Will Your Company Be Next? 5 Surprising Cybersecurity Stats for Small Businesses

2021 was a record year for cyber attack activity. The number of launched attacks is growing by the year. In today’s post, we’ll review the 5 Most Surprising Cybersecurity Stats for Small Business, and we’ll dive into some things you can do to avoid becoming another statistic.

In 2021, There Were 50% More Cyber Attacks Per Week Compared To 2020

Cyber attacks have increased 50% year-over-year, according to Checkpoint Research. With the lure of working remotely, an entirely new set of challenges for IT Security has risen. With remote work levels stabilized, compared to 2020, we may potentially see a smaller increase than 2021. This could be partially due because most organizations have returned to the office and those that haven’t have decided to go fully remote for some positions.

At Least 48% of Businesses Have Experienced a Cyber Attack in the Past 12 Months

According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report this year, 48% of businesses reported a cyber attack in the past 12 months. Please keep in mind that the number “reported (and therefore known)” could be lower than actual attacks, as some of the more sophisticated attacks may have gone completely unnoticed so far to this day. This is one of the more troubling statistics we found when gathering data for this post.

The Top Industries Being Targeted: Manufacturing and Financial

According to IBM, the most often targeted businesses were in the manufacturing and financial sector. This is primarily because manufacturing businesses tend to have older hardware and software to ensure compatibility with expensive, older equipment. Obviously, financial institutions are being targeted because they represent a higher potential value for the attacker.

After those 2, Business Services, Energy and Retail rounded out the Top 5. The healthcare industry was #6.

Phishing Is Still The Most Common Cyberattack

So, what’s the most common type of attack? Phishing is still the most common type of cyberattack, being observed in a resounding 41% of cases. According to Verizon, 85% of data breaches involved the manipulation of the human element. On average, employees see around 14 phishing attempts by email per year.

The good news is: Phishing can be easily prevented with a layered approach of spam/email filtering and cybersecurity awareness training. If this is combined with a vigilant attitude towards emails and website prompting you for input.

Not Even The Government Is Immune

Did you know that around 3% of cyberattacks are aimed directly at government targets? This goes to show that the cyber criminals don’t really mind being bold and going after something they consider “high value”.

It’s not all bad, though.

If some of these stats are alarming to you and you believe your business is potentially at-risk, there’s hope. Together, we can pinpoint and assess how to get you from where you currently are to where you need to be. At SandStorm IT, we’ve made it our mission to ensure that businesses can survive whatever IT issues come their way. We love partnering with businesses in the Greater Memphis area on their IT. Schedule a call to discuss how we help you with all of your IT needs.