You may not think you’re at risk of a cyber-attack, but in today’s digital world, it’s a huge problem. Hackers can learn anything about you by stealing data, such as social security numbers, computer passwords, credit card information, health care data, bank account information, and more. According to an IBM study, as reported by CBS, approximately 1.5 million cyber-attacks occur annually. That’s three attacks per minute!
Businesses are at a huge risk of attack. If a hacker can get ahold of their customer data files, they can easily get their hands on hundreds or thousands of people’s data in one go. Depending on the data they’ve stolen, they can use the information to steal identities, access personal finance accounts, get ahold of trade secrets, and more. Despite 32 percent of organizations being affected by cybercrime, almost half don’t think they need an incident response plan in place according to PwC. That’s because many of them-44 percent according to UK research—don’t believe they’ll be targeted.
Anyone, whether they’re an individual or a business organization, is at risk of becoming victim to a cyber-attack. These attacks work in many ways. Hackers can get ahold of your information through computer viruses, phishing scams, denial-of-service attacks, and even in-person scams where hackers access your on-site computer or company servers. All of these methods can be used to target a large company or a single individuals.
What’s even more frightening is that cybercrime is on the rise. The global cost of cybercrime was around $500 billion in 2015. That figure is expected to rise to $2 trillion by 2019, says Juniper Research. The average cost of a single data breech will hit $150 million by 2020.
If you don’t think you’re at risk of a cyber-attack, think again. Some of the biggest companies with the largest set of resources have been hit hard by cyber criminals. The infographic below highlights the top 10 cybercrimes and data breaches that have been reported to date, chosen based on either size or significance. These attacks include everything from stealing credit card data to social security numbers, birthdates, health data, and more from big companies like Yahoo, Home Depot, Google, and even government agencies like the IRS. It just goes to show that anyone holding sensitive customer data is at risk and that it takes very careful measures to mitigate your risk of a breech.
Get the details of these top 10 massive breaches below. This infographic is made by TheBestVPN.com team.
About the Author
The opinions expressed in this post belongs to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.
