FINAL WORD
Just 13 % of businesses had zero breaches in 2023 compared to 15 % the year before and 20 % in 2021 .
With nearly 4 million professionals needed to fill critical cybersecurity roles , organisations around the globe are feeling the impact of the ongoing skills gap . Breaches can rarely be attributed to a single cause , yet 58 % of leaders indicate that a lack of IT and cybersecurity skills and training within their organisation contributes to security incidents .
All it takes is a single cyber incident to open any organisation to new threats and vulnerabilities . For example , following a breach , threat actors now have valuable insights about an enterprise ’ s environment that they can use to craft a new attack .
Others may attempt to capitalise off a previous breach , viewing a recently compromised organisation as low-hanging fruit . While understanding and taking steps to mitigate these risks is crucial , what is often even more concerning , especially to those in C-level positions and on the board of directors , is the potential impact these incidents can have on business operations . That is why closing risk management strategy gaps , including addressing critical resources like staffing , is vital to protect any organisation effectively .
Cybercriminals continue to advance their operations , refining well-known attack methods and using generative AI to speed their efforts . Therefore , it is not surprising that cybersecurity incidents are rising worldwide . According to Fortinet ’ s 2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report , almost 90 % of businesses experienced one or more security breaches last year , up from 84 % in 2024 and 80 % in 2021 .
The dire need for skilled cybersecurity professionals puts businesses at a disadvantage : Nearly three-quarters of leaders agree that the cybersecurity skills gap creates additional risks for their enterprise .
Breaches are equally common across all regions , with the average number of breaches per organisation in Asia Pacific being the highest , 3.18 and Latin America being the lowest , 2.79 . And the percentage of organisations that report suffering no breaches at all continues to shrink , just 13 % of businesses had zero breaches in 2023 compared to 15 % the year before and 20 % in 2021 .
While organisations increasingly fall victim to cybercriminals , the attacks used to compromise networks are familiar to defenders . Malware , phishing , and web attacks combined accounted for 80 % of all attacks organisations experienced yearly . Password attacks were more common in North America , and leaders in APAC experienced a higher percentage of phishing and web attacks than in other regions .
Cybersecurity incidents have increasingly significant impacts on organisations , ranging from financial to reputational challenges . More than half , 53 % of leaders say breaches cost their organisations over $ 1 million in 2023 , with North America and APAC reporting the most financially damaging attacks . Regarding recovery time , 63 % said it took more than one month to bounce back from a cyberattack , with the average time being nearly three months .
In addition to monetary ramifications and lengthy recovery times , corporate leaders are held accountable when breaches
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