National Cyber Security Awareness Month Statistics

With October being National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the following statistics are ones you need to know. Cyber attackers do not discriminate. Businesses of all sizes, in all industries and all across the US are finding themselves victim to attackers.

1. The average ransom payment in Q3 2021 was $139,739.
2. 83% of ransomware attacks involved the threat to leak exfiltrated data.
3. Average days of downtime stemming from ransomware: 22 days
4. Company size of ransomware targets:
   • 11 to 100 Employees: 35%
   • 101 to 1,000 Employees: 44%
5. Top industries targeted by ransomware:
   • Professional Services: 24%
   • Public Sector: 15%
   • Health Care: 13%

        *Coveware: https://www.coveware.com/blog/2021/10/20/ransomware-attacks-continue-as-pressure-mounts

 

It is a good practice to keep an ongoing dialogue within your business team of the threats out there and best practices for mitigation. At a minimum, every employee should know:

• What business and personal use is permitted for emails
• How to treat business information at the office or at home
• What to do if a cybersecurity incident occurs

Because email threats are so prevalent, many organizations will send “testing” email viruses within their organization to gauge how well their staff is able to identify threats. This can be a great way to identify training needs and prevent future attacks.

Check out the resources below for more info:

• Global Cyber Alliance’s (GCA) cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses with free cybersecurity resources
• What Small Business Owners Need to Know About Cybersecurity, Entrepreneur Magazine
• 3 Biggest Cybersecurity Threats Facing Small Businesses Right Now, Entrepreneur Magazine
• Free training materials, security configuration guides from Internet Security Alliance
• Symantec Security Solutions for Small Business
• McAfee Security Solutions for Small Business
• Microsoft Cybersecurity Tips and Technology for Small Businesses
• Small Business Solutions from StopBadware
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Internet Security Essentials for Businesses 2.0
• FICO and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assessment of Cyber Security Risk Report
• FICO Cyber Risk Assessment Score
• “Small Business Big Threat” from the Michigan Small Business Development Corporation

-Tommy Allmon, President
White & Associates Insurance