The digital age has brought many positive revolutions to how we work, communicate, and do business, but it comes with a dark side. Cybercriminals exploit vulnerable data and internet connections around the world. From sophisticated efforts by national governments to bad actors working as individual hackers, the threats are varied and complex. Understanding the scope of cyberattacks can help us prepare for the worst and mitigate damages. These facts give us a fascinating glimpse into the world of hackers, cybersecurity, and data breaches. They show us a shocking picture of a severe cybersecurity crisis that presents existential business risks.
10 Cyberattack and Hacking Facts
1. A ransomware attack occurs every 11 seconds somewhere in the world. (Source)
This is a dramatic increase from 2019’s statistics, which stated there was an attack every 14 seconds. There has been an explosive growth in cybercrime that will probably increase further in the coming years.
2. Phishing attacks increased by 61% in 2022. (Source)
Over 4.7 million phishing websites were detected. Email is the most popular way to deliver a phishing attack that targets the information of unsuspecting users.
3. Healthcare organizations experienced a 123% increase in cyberattacks from 2020 to 2021. (Source)
The medical sector is the most targeted industry since it holds valuable patient data. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated risks due to short-staffing and resource strain.
4. The average global cost of a data breach is $4.88 million. (Source)
This huge figure represents more than the immediate response cost, but also long-term business disruption costs, reputation damage, and other expense factors.
5. Cybercrime will cost the global economy $10.5 trillion a year by 2025. (Source)
This is a dramatic increase from the $3 trillion cost of global cyberattacks in 2015. This figure encompasses direct financial loss, recovery expenses, lawsuit settlements and more.
6. Stolen credit card information sells for $5 to $50 on the dark web markets. (Source)
Complete identity packages include social security numbers and banking information, which costs more like $1,000 to $5,000. This is a billion-dollar criminal economy.
7. 83% of medical IoT devices are outdated and contain vulnerabilities. (Source)
No wonder cyberattacks are so common! 57% of these devices are vulnerable to medium to high-severity attacks, a huge landscape of vulnerability.
8. 80% of hacking-related breaches are tied to organized crime groups. (Source)
Only 10% of data breaches were connected to state-affiliated actors, and 10% to individual hackers. This shows that cybercrime is professionalized.
9. AI-enhanced cyberattacks increased by 135% in 2023. (Source)
Machine learning algorithms have enabled more sophisticated social engineering, leading to human psychology creating cyber-attack vulnerabilities. AI has adopted evasion techniques that skirt around traditional cybersecurity.
10. Cryptocurrency-related crimes reached $20.6 billion in 2022. (Source)
These expenses were racked up due to ransomware payments, darknet market transactions, and fraud schemes.
Featured image photo credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
