35 Cybersecurity Statistics To Know in 2023
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As the digital world continues to grow, cybersecurity becomes increasingly important to business owners and organisations across the globe. We’ve picked out some of the most interesting cybersecurity statistics to help emphasise just how important it is to keep your online data secure. The consequences of getting hacked and the loss or theft of your customer data could be catastrophic for your business; it could result in customers being put off returning to your business when they’re searching for products or services in the future, and of course, impact your reputation.
Here at Embryo, we work tirelessly to ensure any websites we build are safe and secure, adding extra cybersecurity measures to reduce the risk of your site being hacked. If you need help with the development of a new website, or getting your existing website up to scratch in terms of SEO, Content or User Experience (UX), get in touch with our team by phone at 0161 327 2635 or email [email protected].
Most Common Types of Cyber Attacks
Before we dive into the stats, let’s take a look at what we mean when we’re discussing some of those pesky cyber attacks:
Malware
Also known as ‘malicious software’, malware is added to the script of your site by hackers to generally cause chaos. From recording keystrokes to taking control of your whole computer, network or server, this is one type of cyber security risk you definitely want to prevent!
Phishing
You’ll definitely have received some kind of phishing communication in your everyday life, whether that be a text or message asking you to click a link, malicious emails or texts from “Royal Mail” or “DPD” asking for your bank details in order to release a parcel, or even those tax refund emails we all wish were real. The senders of such phishing scams are getting smarter every day, so it’s important to keep your wits about you and always click on the sender to check where they’ve really come from!
Ransomware
A ransomware attack is a type of malware used to prevent a user or organisation from accessing their own device and files until a ransom is paid. The hacker usually encrypts the files, and will only provide the decryption key upon receipt of the ransom. Sometimes a hacker will threaten to publish the information if the ransom isn’t met.
Six Standout Cybersecurity Stats
- Someone is hacked every 39 seconds
- 175 zettabytes of data in use by 2025
- Over $3 billion of crypto stolen in 2022
- 5.5 billion malware attacks last year
- 95% of cybersecurity breaches down to human error
- Cost of cybercrime to hit $8 trillion in 2023
A cyber attack happens every 39 seconds
Statistics suggest that a cyber attack happens every 39 seconds on average – with 2,200 successful cyber attacks every day.
We’ll be using 175 zettabytes of data by 2025
According to TechTarget, the total collective data of the whole of humanity will reach 175 zettabytes (175 followed by 21 zeros!) by the year 2025. This includes everything held online – from your health record to your dating apps.
255 million phishing attacks in 6 months
According to Security Magazine, there were 255 million phishing attacks over the first six months of 2022.
231 billion spam emails blocked by Google in one month
In data from Google, they claimed that they stopped over 231 billion spam and phishing emails during November 2022, with scammers targeting shoppers throughout the holiday season.
Over $3 billion of cryptocurrency was stolen in 2022
Crypto specialist Chainalysis claims over $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency was stolen in hacks in 2022.
43% of data breaches are caused by the workforce
Research from Intel suggests 43% of all data breaches are caused by insider threats (people working for the business affected), with around half of those being on purpose!
300,000 new malware created daily
Every day, 300,000 new pieces of malicious software (also known as malware) are created, with 92% of those being delivered by email.
97% of WordPress security breaches come from plugins
Information from Hostinger states that 97% of all security breaches on WordPress exploit plugins. One of the best ways to tackle those types of cybersecurity threats is to ensure your plugins are always up-to-date.
Malware on 4.1 million sites
Stats from the 2022 SiteLock Security Report state that, at any one time, 4.1 million websites have malware (or malicious software).
Data breaches cost $9.44 million in the US
IBM’s report titled Cost of a Data Breach 2022 suggested that the average cost of a data breach is $9.44M in the US.
Security as a Service market to hit $22 billion by 2026
Projections from Statista indicate that the worldwide Security as a Service (SECaaS) market will reach $22 billion in 2026.
75% of phishing sites are for mobile
According to research undertaken by Zimperium, over 75% of phishing sites are specific to mobile devices.
74% of IT experts think remote working is a cybersecurity threat
According to a study by Tripwire, 74% of IT security professionals surveyed believe that remote working presents an extreme threat to cybersecurity.
5.5 billion malware attacks in 2022
According to data from Statista, there were 5.5 billion malicious software attacks worldwide in 2022.
54% of businesses think their IT teams can’t deal with modern cybersecurity incidents
A survey by leading cybersecurity firm Sophos claims that 54% of businesses think that their IT departments don’t have the experience to handle complex cyberattacks.
71% of businesses impacted by ransomware incidents
Statista data suggests that 71% of businesses were affected by ransomware attacks in 2022.
$2 billion stolen from cross-chain bridges in 2022
Chainalysis estimated that $2 billion of cryptocurrency was stolen from cross-chain bridges by hackers in 2022.
66% of CIOs plan to increase investment in cybersecurity
66% of CIOs who responded to a survey by Gartner Inc. planned to increase investment in the cybersecurity industry in 2023.
76% of all threats were ‘spear-phishing’ attacks in 2022
Slashnext’s report also claimed that targeted ‘spear-phishing’ attacks, which are designed to harvest important credentials, made up 76% of all cyber threats in 2022.
Emotet detections increased by 976.7%
Data from Trend Micro Smart Protection Network claims that H1 2022 saw a huge 976.7% increase in detections of Emotet (a type of malware) compared to the first half of 2021, with the highest number of detections coming in Japan.
Zero-hour threats make up 54% of all cyber attacks
A report from Slashnext claims that ‘zero-hour threats’ made up 54% of all cyber threats detected in 2022. They are attacks which exploit unknown vulnerabilities.
Over 800,000 cybersecurity complaints to the FBI in 2021
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 847,376 cybersecurity complaints in 2021, giving potential losses of more than $6.9 billion.
850,000 domains were reported for phishing in 2022
In a study by Interisle, over 850,000 domain names were reported for phishing scams throughout 2022.
67% uplift in DDoS attacks in 2022
Cloudflare reported a rise in ransom DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, seeing a 67% increase in 2022 vs the previous year.
95% of cybersecurity breaches down to human error
The World Economic Forum claims that human error is to blame for 95% of cyber security breaches.
SMBs are the target of 43% of cyber attacks
A cybercrime study by Accenture reveals that nearly 43% of cyber-attacks target small-to-medium businesses (SMBs).
Cybersecurity spending will reach $1.75 trillion
Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that spending on cybersecurity will reach $1.75 trillion between 2021 and 2025. They put this down to the increase in cybercrime and the requirement for businesses to protect themselves against cyber risks.
4% of businesses who pay ransom retrieve their complete data
A 2022 ransomware report from Sophos suggests that, out of the businesses who pay the ransom when they’re held ‘hostage’ by ransomware, only 4% actually retrieve all of their stolen data.
62% of organisations feel they need more cybersecurity staff
The ISACA “State of Cybersecurity 2022” report revealed that 62% of organisations feel that they need more cybersecurity professionals to protect them from cyber incidents.
45% of businesses to face software supply chain attack by 2025
Gartner predicts that by 2025, 45% of the world’s organisations will have faced an attack on their software supply chain – that’s three times the percentage of businesses in 2021.
61% more phishing attacks in 2022
The 2022 State of Phishing report from SlashNext stated that phishing attacks grew by 61% during 2022.
Ethical hackers found 21% more vulnerabilities in 2022
The 2022 ‘Hacker-powered’ security report from HackerOne reported that ethical hackers found over 65,000 vulnerabilities throughout 2022 – an increase of 21% from the previous year.
Cyber insurance market to reach $36.85 million in 2028
Insights from Fortune Business Insights suggest that the worldwide cyber insurance market will grow by 25.3% between 2021 and 2028, reaching an estimated $36.85 billion in 2028.
Cost of cybercrime to hit $8 trillion this year
The 2022 Official Cybercrime Report from Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that the cost of cybercrime will hit $8 trillion in 2023, shooting up to $10.5 trillion in 2025.
Cryptojacking increased by 230% in 2022
Research by Kaspersky Lab states that crypto-jacking, also known as malicious crypto mining, grew by 230% in 2022. It hijacks another user’s resources to mine cryptocurrency for free.
Ensure Your Cyber Security Strategy Is Up To Scratch
It’s one thing knowing that hackers are out there in the world, doing their thing, but it’s another to see just how much of an impact those hackers have on businesses in the modern world through various types of attacks. From the financial losses faced when a business cannot function while its systems are held hostage through a ransomware attack, to the indirect costs of potentially losing customers once they realise their data has been stolen from an organisation they thought they could trust, it pays to have strong cyber security policies in place to avoid not only the loss of money but also the loss of a good reputation.
As well as the main benefits, a safe, secure website can also help with your SEO efforts and get your site to appear further up those all-important rankings on Google. Our team of SEO experts can provide clear, helpful guidance when it comes to improving your site’s cybersecurity and content for SEO purposes. Need help showing up for your target customers when they’re searching for products or services like yours? Get in touch with the team today to get the ball rolling.
