1. Growing Number of Attacks: The number of cyberattacks is on the rise. Every day, there are around 720 million attempted cyber-attacks, and many of them succeed.
2. Ransomware: On average, a new organization will fall victim to ransomware every 11 seconds in 2021, and this frequency was expected to rise. Some ransomware attacks have targeted critical infrastructure, like pipelines and hospitals.
3. Costly Data Breaches: The average cost of a data breach in 2021 was nearly $4 million, and that’s just the immediate costs. Long-term damages to brand reputation and lost customers can amplify this.
4. IoT Vulnerabilities: With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), billions of devices are now connected to the internet, many of which have poor security. This creates countless new entry points for cybercriminals.
5. Phishing: Phishing remains a top method used by attackers. One in every 3,722 emails in 2020 was a phishing email, and these numbers have shown a consistent growth trend.
6. Cloud Vulnerabilities: As businesses migrate to the cloud, data breaches involving cloud assets were on the rise, often due to misconfigured settings and insufficient access controls.
7. Unpatched Software: A significant portion of cyberattacks exploit known vulnerabilities where patches are available but not applied.
8. Insider Threats: Not all threats come from the outside. Insider threats, both malicious and accidental, are a significant concern for many organizations.
9. Underreported Attacks: Many cyberattacks go unreported due to the fear of reputational damage, making it difficult to grasp the true scale of the problem.
10. Lack of Skilled Professionals: There’s a global shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. As of 2021, there was an estimated shortage of nearly 3 million cybersecurity jobs globally.
11. Nation-State Attacks: Cyber warfare and espionage by nation-states are on the rise, with countries sponsoring cyberattacks against rivals, both in the public and private sectors.
12. Deepfakes: The rise of AI-generated content, or “deepfakes”, can be used for malicious purposes, such as misinformation campaigns or impersonation for fraud.
13. Mobile Malware: With the ubiquity of smartphones, mobile malware and app-based attacks are increasing, targeting both Android and iOS platforms.
14. Supply Chain Attacks: Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting organizations indirectly, through trusted third-party suppliers, as seen in significant incidents like the SolarWinds attack.
15. Cryptocurrency Thefts: As cryptocurrency gains popularity, so too do thefts and frauds related to it. Millions, sometimes billions, can be stolen in single breaches of crypto exchanges or wallets.