Over the coming weeks, we\u2019ll be looking into these topics in more detail on this blog.<\/p>\n
However, to start the month off, we\u2019ve rounded up a list of 20 startling facts and figures that show just how seriously individuals and businesses should take cybercrime.<\/p>\n
The threat<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- If it was measured as a country, cybercrime would be the world\u2019s third largest economy after the USA and China, according to the editor in chief of Cybercrime Magazine.<\/li>\n
- 40% of UK businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2020.<\/li>\n
- 44% of retail and education firms worldwide were hit by ransomware in 2020.<\/li>\n
- More than 700 councils in the UK reported data breaches in 2020.<\/li>\n
- The average CEO will receive 57 targeted phishing attacks a year.<\/li>\n
- In a single analysis of 1,500 corporate networks in June 2021, Zscaler cloud security found 200,000 unpatched common vulnerabilities and exposures.<\/li>\n
- In June 2021, the CEO of the UK\u2019s National Cyber Security Centre said ransomware was the key cybersecurity threat facing the country.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The shocking scale<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- One of the largest Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in the history of the internet took place in September 2021. The company, Yandex, was hit by 22 million requests per second.<\/li>\n
- In April 2021, the Facebook data of 533 million people across 106 countries, including 11 million people from the UK, was posted online.<\/li>\n
- In July 2021, data belonging to 700 million LinkedIn users was advertised for sale on the dark web.<\/li>\n
- In August 2021, cyber security firm D3Lab discovered data belonging to one million credit card holders on an underground web forum.<\/li>\n
- In 2020, email-based cyber security scams increased by 61%.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The cost<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 7.7 trillion pounds \u2013 this is how much Cybersecurity Ventures predicts cybercrime will cost the world every year by 2025.<\/li>\n
- The average cost of a cyber-attack on a UK business is \u00a38,460 according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.<\/li>\n
- This figure rises to \u00a313,400 for medium and large businesses.<\/li>\n
- 5% of successful attacks cost businesses \u00a3730,000 or more.<\/li>\n
- \u00a31.5 million is the average cost \u2013 globally \u2013 of a ransomware attack on a financial services firm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Attitudes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds care more about their deadlines than causing a data breach.<\/li>\n
- 36% of staff in the UK and USA feel forced into \u2018bad security behaviours\u2019 while working from home.<\/li>\n
- 85% of successful data breaches involve defrauding humans, rather than exploiting flaws in computer code.<\/li>\n
- Global take-up of cyber insurance rose from 26% to 47% between 2016 and 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
3 quick wins that individuals and businesses can make with cyber security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- \n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heart-InternetBlog-body-image-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
The shocking scale<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- One of the largest Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in the history of the internet took place in September 2021. The company, Yandex, was hit by 22 million requests per second.<\/li>\n
- In April 2021, the Facebook data of 533 million people across 106 countries, including 11 million people from the UK, was posted online.<\/li>\n
- In July 2021, data belonging to 700 million LinkedIn users was advertised for sale on the dark web.<\/li>\n
- In August 2021, cyber security firm D3Lab discovered data belonging to one million credit card holders on an underground web forum.<\/li>\n
- In 2020, email-based cyber security scams increased by 61%.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The cost<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 7.7 trillion pounds \u2013 this is how much Cybersecurity Ventures predicts cybercrime will cost the world every year by 2025.<\/li>\n
- The average cost of a cyber-attack on a UK business is \u00a38,460 according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.<\/li>\n
- This figure rises to \u00a313,400 for medium and large businesses.<\/li>\n
- 5% of successful attacks cost businesses \u00a3730,000 or more.<\/li>\n
- \u00a31.5 million is the average cost \u2013 globally \u2013 of a ransomware attack on a financial services firm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Attitudes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds care more about their deadlines than causing a data breach.<\/li>\n
- 36% of staff in the UK and USA feel forced into \u2018bad security behaviours\u2019 while working from home.<\/li>\n
- 85% of successful data breaches involve defrauding humans, rather than exploiting flaws in computer code.<\/li>\n
- Global take-up of cyber insurance rose from 26% to 47% between 2016 and 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
3 quick wins that individuals and businesses can make with cyber security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- \n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
The cost<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 7.7 trillion pounds \u2013 this is how much Cybersecurity Ventures predicts cybercrime will cost the world every year by 2025.<\/li>\n
- The average cost of a cyber-attack on a UK business is \u00a38,460 according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.<\/li>\n
- This figure rises to \u00a313,400 for medium and large businesses.<\/li>\n
- 5% of successful attacks cost businesses \u00a3730,000 or more.<\/li>\n
- \u00a31.5 million is the average cost \u2013 globally \u2013 of a ransomware attack on a financial services firm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Attitudes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds care more about their deadlines than causing a data breach.<\/li>\n
- 36% of staff in the UK and USA feel forced into \u2018bad security behaviours\u2019 while working from home.<\/li>\n
- 85% of successful data breaches involve defrauding humans, rather than exploiting flaws in computer code.<\/li>\n
- Global take-up of cyber insurance rose from 26% to 47% between 2016 and 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
3 quick wins that individuals and businesses can make with cyber security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- \n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
Attitudes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n- 54% of 18 to 24-year-olds care more about their deadlines than causing a data breach.<\/li>\n
- 36% of staff in the UK and USA feel forced into \u2018bad security behaviours\u2019 while working from home.<\/li>\n
- 85% of successful data breaches involve defrauding humans, rather than exploiting flaws in computer code.<\/li>\n
- Global take-up of cyber insurance rose from 26% to 47% between 2016 and 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
3 quick wins that individuals and businesses can make with cyber security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- \n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
3 quick wins that individuals and businesses can make with cyber security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- \n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t ignore updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYes, that little pop up telling you that you need to update an app or certain piece of software always appears at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
However, ignoring it can leave your computer\/s open to abuse.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an individual, update as soon as you can.<\/p>\n
If you run a small business, explain the importance of prompt updates in your training sessions on cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be lazy when it comes to passwords<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easy to get frustrated when it comes to remembering passwords.<\/p>\n
Cardinal sins of password use include:<\/p>\n
\n- Using the same password for multiple accounts<\/li>\n
- Using a password that only contains lower case letters and no symbols or numbers<\/li>\n
- Using a password that\u2019s easy to guess \u2013 for example it\u2019s a birthday, your favourite sport, or your child\u2019s name etc.<\/li>\n
- Using a generic password like 1234567 or qwerty.<\/li>\n
- Storing your passwords on post-it notes \u2013 discover the trouble Republican party representative Mo Brooks recently got into<\/a> after he posted a photo on twitter that included the post-it note he stored his own password on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIt\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\nSo you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
\n- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFurther resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n
If you run a small busines, you might want to consider using multi-factor authentication to protect your employees from credential theft. Prices start from less than \u00a32 per employee a month.<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Always take a proactive approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
It\u2019s easier to protect against a cyberattack than it is to repair things afterwards.<\/p>\n
Individuals can be proactive by carrying out updates, practicing password hygiene, and brushing up on how to spot scams and attacks.<\/p>\n
Businesses with websites can also be proactive by investing in website security tools like Sucuri.<\/p>\n
At Heart Internet, we’ve cut the price of our annual Sucuri packages<\/a> by up to 25%.<\/p>\n
So you can get all of the below for as little as \u00a347.88 a year.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Unlimited malware scans, detection and removal<\/li>\n
- Google blacklist monitoring and removal<\/li>\n
- 12-hour response time to any security issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
Further resources on cyber security can also be found in our white paper:<\/p>\n