It’s hard to believe but National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is nearly 20 years old.
Started in 2004, and celebrated every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month was developed through a partnership between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).
This special month provides resources and communications for businesses and organizations to have conversations with their employees about staying safe and secure online.
Since the inception of Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, cybersecurity has become a global imperative, and for good reason. Cyber-attacks have become the new norm across private and public sectors with new trends emerging such as ransomware, phishing, crypto jacking, and online data breaches. Several of these hack attacks and others did not even exist in 2004.
Some Alarming Statistics
As we head into Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here are some alarming statistics that should make everyone renew their cybersecurity commitment in 2022 and beyond.
- 95 percent of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error (World Economic Forum).
- The worldwide information security market is forecast to reach $366.1 billion in 2028 (Fortune Business Insights).
- The U.S. was the target of 46 percent of cyberattacks in 2020, more than double any other country (Microsoft).
- 54 percent of companies say their IT departments are not sophisticated enough to handle advanced cyberattacks (Sophos).
- Cyber fatigue, or apathy to proactively defending against cyberattacks, affects as much as 42 percent of companies (Cisco).
- 43 percent of all breaches are insider threats, either intentional or unintentional (Check Point).
- Data breaches exposed 22 billion records in 2021 (RiskBased Security).
- Approximately 70 percent of breaches in 2021 were financially motivated. (Verizon)
- In 2021, nearly 40 percent of breaches featured phishing, around 11 percent involved malware, and about 22 percent involved hacking. (Verizon)
- There were 1,862 recorded data breaches in 2021, surpassing the 2017 record of 1,506 breaches. (CNET)
- The top malicious email attachment types are .doc and .dot which make up 37 percent; the next highest is .exe at 19.5 percent. (Symantec)
- An estimated 300 billion passwords are used by humans and machines worldwide. (Cybersecurity Media)
While we all have become more educated about cybersecurity and existing threats, disturbing statistics like this show much work needs to be done to stay secure, especially when you factor in our growing remote/hybrid workforce. Since the start of the pandemic, remote/hybrid workers have been vulnerable to attacks with that trend continuing today at great cost. The following are some findings from IBM’s 2021 Data Breach Report:
- The average cost of a data breach because of remote work was more than $1 million higher in those cyber-attacks in which remote work was a factor.
- Businesses with more than 60 percent of its workforce working remotely had a higher average data breach cost than those without remote employees.
- When organizations in the United States did not adjust and adapt its IT to handle work changes during the pandemic, the average cost of a breach was more than $5 million, compared to the global overall average of $4.24 million.
War Room, Matrix Join the Fight
Fortunately, we have two powerful platforms that prioritize user safety with private and secure virtual environments while maintaining business continuity: War Room and Matrix.
War Room delivers a closed and private video conferencing and meeting solution that secures the exchange and privacy of information between trusted parties without fear of eavesdropping or data breaches. War Room works on all devices so employees can seamlessly participate in meetings while working remotely or in the office. Secured by the VirnetX One platform, War Room is built on VirnetX Secure Domain Names and patented technology, giving businesses protection, control, and visibility to secure its communications.
Matrix provides the interface for a growing remote and hybrid workforce to securely access enterprise applications, services, and infrastructure by leveraging the secure environment created by the VirnetX One platform. Matrix protects applications using zero trust network access (ZTNA), allowing employees to work from anywhere with seamless and secure access to corporate applications, regardless of their location, network, or device.
War Room and Matrix are effective and powerful platforms to secure real-time communications over the internet. They are welcomed additions in the ongoing fight against cyber-attacks and bad actors looking to steal sensitive information and your privacy.
Stay Safe and Secure All Year-Long
Much like Cyber Security Awareness Month, part of our mission at VirnetX is to educate and inform our clients, customers, and partners about new cybersecurity technologies, and new and existing cyber threats. Our team is passionate about online protection, and we fully recognize and embrace this important month.
Stay safe and secure this October, and all year-long. To learn more about CyberSecurity Awareness Month, including the theme and focus for 2022, go to NCSA.
For more information about our products, including Matrix and War Room, download our white papers: “Remote and Vulnerable: Securing a Changing Workforce from Cyberattacks, and “Winning the Fight for the Virtual Conference Room.” In the meantime, please let us know if you have further questions about Matrix or War Room. Our sales team would be happy to talk to you.
About VirnetX
VirnetX Holding Corporation is an Internet security software and technology company with patented technology for secure communications, including 4G LTE and 5G security. VirnetX’s software and technology solutions, including its secure domain name registry and Gabriel Connection Technology™, are designed to facilitate secure communications and to create a secure environment for real-time communication applications such as instant messaging, VoIP, smartphones, e-readers, and video conferencing. The Company’s patent portfolio includes over 200 U.S. and foreign granted patents, validations, and pending applications. For more information, please visit www.virnetx.com
