Scary Cybersecurity Statistics

Is it a sweet treat or a cruel trick?

The COVID pandemic has changed the ways we interact with each other.  Although we are almost back to our new normal, trick or treating, parties, and some events are still being held online. Here are some scary cybersecurity stats in light of Halloween and Cyber Security Awareness Month.

1. Cybercrime reports to the FBI have increased by nearly 400% during COVID.

2. Google blocks 18 million COVID-related phishing emails a day!
3. Cybercrime is estimated to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025!
4. 46% of SMBs have been targeted by ransomware, 73% have paid the ransom
5. $7.68 Million is the average cost of an insider-related cyber incident for SMBs
6. It takes 314 days on average to contain a data breach
7. Only 5% of companies’ folders are properly protected, on average.
8. Data breaches exposed 4.1 billion records in the first half of 2019.
9. 71% of breaches were financially motivated and 25% were motivated by espionage.
10. 52% of breaches featured hacking, 28% involved malware and 32–33% included phishing or social engineering, respective.
11. Hackers attack every 39 seconds, on average 2,244 times a day.
12. 98% of cyberattacks rely on social engineering.

So how can you stay safe this Halloween?

Stranger Danger.  Don't Click Their Links!

• Just like we are told not to accept things from strangers, opening links from unknown sources can be just as dangerous.
• Phishing scams are designed to make you think you're interacting with a trusted website.  They try to collect login financial data, credentials, and account information.
• Rather than clicking a link in a suspicious email or message.  Verify their information with a trusted website.

Protect Your Candy With a Strong Password

• Creating and maintaining a strong, secure password is just as important as making sure your candy is protected on Halloween night.
• Use upper, and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation to make sure your password is secure.
• Use different passwords for each of your accounts and change them every 6 to 8 weeks.

Chase Away The Monsters

• Online monsters can infiltrate your computer for months unnoticed.
• Using a public Wi-Fi network at a restaurant, coffee shop, or mall can leave your computer vulnerable to attacks on your data.
• While using a public network, it is important to use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt traffic between your devices on public, unsecured networks.

Find a Costume for Your Personal Information

• You wouldn't go trick-or-treating without a costume so why would you send personal information online without encryption?
• Using a secured network or website keeps your information safe by converting it to an indecipherable code.
• Using a secure website (https) on your mobile device, rather than an app, allows for increased security.

Clean Up Your Candy Trail

• While you're out trick-or-treating, it is easy to quickly post a photo in your costume, Halloween party pics or candy.
• For many social networks, like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and more, location services are part of the package with using the app.
• With more GPS-enabled devices being used each day, your location information can give cyber criminals data on when you're away and where you're going, giving them a window to hack your personal information.

Don't get spooked! Schedule a Complimentary Business Systems Assessment today with one of our experienced technicians!

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