40+ Cybersecurity Statistics & Facts For 2021

Cybercrime is on the rise, and while this shouldn’t stop you from utilizing online resources, it should certainly encourage you to step up your IT security.

Cyber attacks continue to grow as a threat to small businesses and the economy. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the cost of cybercrime costs the world more than $1 trillion, a 50% increase from 2018.

40+ Cybersecurity Statistics & Trends for 2021

Here is a collection of the most up-to-date cybercrime and cybersecurity statistics for 2021 to give you the current state of what’s happening in the cybersecurity world.

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Global cybercrime costs are predicted to grow by 15% per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025, up from $3 trillion USD in 2015.

Cybercrime is expected to be up to 5 times more profitable than global transnational crimes combined.

Drugs and human trafficking to oil theft, illegal mining, and fishing, to weapons trafficking, which is estimated to generate between $1.6 trillion and $2.2 trillion annually.

Ransomware is a type of malware that denies users and system administrators access to files or entire networks. Once the malware infects systems, the target is sent a ransom note typically demanding payment in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.

24% of all cyberattacks are ransomware attacks. The cost of cybercrime will be $6 Trillion annually by 2021, and the costs of ransomware alone are forecasted to reach a record $20 Billion by 2021.

Ransomware is no joke.

In January 2020, the Travelex international currency exchange was hit by ransomware. They reportedly paid $2.3 million to get decryption keys. Travelex was forced into administration in August.

And in September 2020, a ransomware attack targeted the University Hospital Düsseldorf and encrypted 30 servers. As a result of the attack, an unidentified woman in need of emergency treatment was rerouted to a different hospital, about 38 miles away, causing an hour-long delay in treatment. She did not survive.

The cybersecurity industry is going through rapid growth, and an increase in threats, meaning companies of all sizes are spending a lot of money on security. Based on current trends, experts predict the worldwide cybersecurity market is set to grow by up to 10% this year to top $60bn.

Tricking users into clicking on malicious links is the most common method for cyber-criminals to spread malware. Email spam was the most common method for cybercriminals to spread malware in 2018. Roughly 69 percent of spam emails attempt to trick users into visiting a malicious URL. Malicious attachments were used in the remaining 31 percent of spam.

Smart home devices are becoming ever more prevalent. They’re convenient and help us go about our daily lives. However, it shouldn’t be overlooked that criminals are utilizing smart home devices to exploit individuals with them. The network that connects smart homes in the U.S., U.K., and China is connected to an external network, and if your router doesn’t have the proper security then you’re majorly at risk for a hacker.

When surveying 6.2 billion files, including ones that contained health records and financial information, about 1 in 5 were completely open for global access. What makes it worse is that companies are also perpetuating this. About 2 in 5 companies will have over 1000 files open for anyone to see, including files with sensitive information.

Cybercrime causes far more damage than any one person could know, and it’s becoming one of humanity’s biggest challenges. By 2021, it could cost us $6 trillion to combat. When companies like Yahoo or Equifax are hacked, it causes the size, sophistication, and cost of these crimes to grow at an astronomical rate.

While 1 in 3 open phishing emails, a smaller percent again clicks on the infected links or attachments. Roughly 12 percent are victims of the actual infections that result from phishing.

Cyber-attacks are expensive and the most expensive portion of this is information loss. Data loss occurs during hacks and if the information belongs to third-parties then it can be incredibly pricey attempting to restore that lost data.

These days, it seems like there’s a password for just about everything. Between both humans and machines, there will be roughly 300 billion passwords used worldwide by 2020. Passwords are key to ensuring cybersecurity protection and mitigating potential threats.

Millennials are the most impacted group of people by cybercrime. This is because they are the most technologically savvy age group. In any case, around 53 percent of millennials experienced cybercrime in the last year.

What type of rate would you put on your personal data? Unfortunately, others might not value it as high. Since personal data sells for so little, you’ll want to beware. Individuals who are in the selling market are much more likely to try to accumulate as much data to sell as possible.

Credit card information sells on the higher end than other kinds of personal data. Making your information as difficult to resell as possible will make the value of it decrease to anyone attempting to make a buck or two off of your identity.

While only 14 percent of the population in the Netherlands was impacted by cybercrime, roughly 59 percent of the population in Indonesia was. Although the goal should be to have no one impacted by cybercrime, most countries fall somewhere in the middle. A big portion of lowering this rate will consist of educating people on how to be smart online and not engaging in risky behavior.

Even after Yahoo and Equifax, companies aren’t as on it as they could be. The fact that it takes companies over 6 months to realize that they have a data breach means that you’re more and more susceptible to having your information stolen.

Being vulnerable to attacks means it is a matter of which companies you put your trust in and to who you give your information. Attacks do happen, but the time that lapses while it takes companies to notice results in an unacceptable amount of information being acquired by cyber-criminals.

While big companies are the ones who are often targeted in the media as letting in security breaches, consumers aren’t entirely off the hook. It seems that around 95 percent of cloud security failures result at the fault of the customer.

The cloud’s complex use doesn’t always make it user-friendly but the way it’s currently being used is allowing for a variety of data breaches. Moving forward, this issue can be combated by implement and enforce policies on cloud ownership, responsibility, and risk acceptance.

Coming in at roughly 38 percent, Microsoft Office file formats. While this might sound vague, it likely impacts you every single day. These Microsoft file formats are commonly sent as extensions or attachments in emails. These file attachments—common threat vectors for malware—are problematic for cybersecurity as so many individuals utilize them.

WordPress is the most popular website creation software currently powering more than 30% of all websites on the Internet. But 73.2% of all WordPress installations are open to vulnerabilities.

By 2021 – the same year that cybersecurity will cost us $6 trillion—jobs are also predicted to hit around 3.5 million. Cybersecurity skills are needed, and they’re needed now. The more cybersecurity workers that can be employed the better to combat the security challenges that we’re currently facing.

As cybersecurity threatens to derail businesses, everyone is looking to bring on someone (even as a consultant) to help them close off any potential risks.

You might wonder why a company worth millions might give into a hacker. It’s because of their customers and how much is at stake if they leave. If 7 in 10 customers stay “I’m out” if a company experiences this issue, then they better not experience this issue.

If people held true to their word, then the company would go belly up in no time. Avoiding cybersecurity risks altogether or paying off a hacker is worth it to companies who don’t want to lose their entire base of clients.

While the U.S. is beginning to talk more and more about data breaches that occur, the number of attacks is continually increasing. There are 130 large-scale attacks occurring each year and the number is growing by 27 percent. We’re quickly moving towards a cybersecurity crisis with no improvement.

The amount of malware (malicious software) installed on Android platforms has increased by 400 percent. Part of the problem is the fact that individuals are much more relaxed when it comes to their smartphones than their computers. While 72 percent of users have free antivirus software on their laptop computer, only 50 percent have any kind of protection on their phone.

Bear in mind, this is dangerous because mobile devices are now handheld personal assistants. They’re used to track everything from work-related information to family and friends to health information to finances. They’re a one-size-fits-all gadget and if any phones are the victim of cybercrime then all of that data becomes accessible to the hacker.

Well over half of China’s computers are infected with malicious software. Even with increasing awareness, hackers are reaching their peak. Hackers are able to access personal information, passwords, and infect other devices on the same network once they’ve conquered one device. This means that ensuring that networks remain secure is incredibly important so that it doesn’t spread as quickly as it has in China.

That’s right, there’s no grace with this crime. There is an FBI Cyber Most Wanted List and if you’re caught hacking then this is exactly where you go. As of 2018, the list was over 40 individuals. Computer programmer Park Jin Hyok is number 1 on the list. He is responsible for some of the most expensive computer intrusions in history.

His attacks attempted to steal more than $1 billion and this series of attacks impacted tens of thousands of computers. Needless to say, the FBI isn’t messing around. These types of crimes are serious because of the number of individuals they affect as well as the amount of money they end up costing everyone involved.

And this is just the number of Americans who have been in the past! With numbers this high, who knows how many will continue to be impacted in the future? Each time individuals have access to your personal data, you’re at risk of identity theft. Thus, you want to make sure that you’re always being smart with your data and protecting it from any potential hackers out there. You want to reduce any situation that may leave you and your personal data exposed.

While China might be the state with the most malware and Indonesia might have the highest crime rate, the United States actually tops the list for targeted attacks. What are targeted attacks? Targeted attacks can be either state-sponsored or sponsored by private groups, but they’re more often the latter.

The U.S. is currently a target for other states to disrupt, rob, sabotage, or spy on via their cyber means. Right behind the U.S. at spots #2 and #3 are India and Japan, respectively.

If your company has their data breached, get ready to flush nearly $4 million down the drain. It’ll take any given company worldwide this amount of country to address the issues at hand, and remember, the majority of this will go to address information loss.

Now, if you’re a company in the United States, it costs double the amount of money at $7.91 million. Given this, and the fact that it’ll take you 6 months to identify the breach, it might be safer to institute strong preventive measures.

You just can’t get away from it. Once every single minute, a hacker attacks any given computer with Internet access. These attacks impact 30 percent of Americans every year.

Connecting devices is convenient, but it also allows hackers to access more and more information once they’ve breached one device within a network. Before long, hackers will have an easier and easier time gaining access to all of our information with a few clicks of the keys.

Around 38 percent of global organizations say that they could handle a “sophisticated cyber-attack.” Where does that leave anyone else? That means 62 percent aren’t prepared, which are terrible odds when more than half of companies have experienced experience some kind of attack in the last year.

If you haven’t heard of ransomware, it’s a type of malicious software that threatens public personal data or forever block access unless the amount is paid. While you don’t have to pay the ransomware extortion, it is common that victims of this type of cyber attack will pay up to keep their data safe.

Additionally, what’s so dangerous about ransomware is the fact that the internet allows us to connect our lives in so many ways. With family, friends, school, work, and more, having any kind of block on this access seems virtually unfathomable to most individuals. Thus, a ransom is a small price to pay to have this access forever.

In 2020, it’s estimated that businesses will be plagued by ransomware attacks every 14 seconds (yes – 4 times a minute!). Yet, that’s still less often than individuals receive these requests. As a result, ransomware accounts for a mass amount of the global damage costs of cybersecurity attacks.

A report by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center revealed a significant increase in reported cybercrimes in 2020. Additionally, Google shared a report that also revealed an increase in pandemic-related phishing attempts. According to the FBI, the sudden increase in cyber risks can be traced back to hackers trying to take advantage of increased traffic during the pandemic.

The impact of the pandemic includes the digital space now that most businesses have an established online presence. Remote work grew significantly in 2020, and IBM’s research indicates this change will impact data breaches. About 70 percent of survey respondents agreed that an increase in remote work would increase a security breach’s cost. The estimated increase is $137,000.

Most of 2020 was a series of unprecedented events that nobody was prepared to handle. The transition to remote work from an in-office setting was hastily made in response to the massive changes that impacted the globe. Remote employees settled in, but organizations lacked the time to deploy more robust security solutions to protect company networks. Legal and compliance leaders find these vulnerabilities concerning given the rise of cyber-attacks.

Experts at the University of Maryland performed a study to determine how often cyber-attacks occur online. For the study, they set up four Linux internet-ready computers with minimal security measures in place.

From this, the researchers learned that many of the attacks came from so-called “dictionary” scripts. A dictionary script is a simple piece of software that breaches computers through a brute-force method of trying common usernames and passwords.

This study shows that cyber-attacks don’t need to be sophisticated to cause a major impact on cybersecurity, especially when these attacks happen over 2,000 times a day.

According to FireEye’s 2020 Security Effectiveness Report, only 9 percent of cyber-attacks even triggered an alert to a user. Most tools people rely on to protect themselves aren’t optimized for the job.

For example, some security settings were still set to default configurations, and others had not updated their software at all. Because of these factors, security tools could not send an alert during a breach.

Many business owners believe that investing in a wide range of security tools is enough to prevent cyber-attack damage. However, the same FireEye report indicates that, despite deploying several anti-cyberthreat services, more than half of attacks go entirely undetected. This statistic is yet another indication that businesses must improve their existing security measures.

According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA), 88 percent of small business owners believe hackers would target them, but that’s not the surprising statistic.

A quarter of small- to medium-sized businesses would file for bankruptcy if their data were exposed, and 10 percent would go out of business entirely. The evidence of the devastating impact of cyber-attacks on small businesses continues to add up.

It used to be that cybercriminals left small businesses alone because they didn’t have much to steal. These days, the cyberthreat game has changed; hackers don’t care what kinds of businesses they attack, even if they have fewer assets than others. Verizon reports that 43 percent of data breaches in 2019 involved attacks on small businesses.

In other words, with cybercriminals becomes less discriminate in choosing victims, there is a possible risk to every business.

Verizon’s report also exposes the underlying risk of using email. It is predicted that emails sent will reach 361.6 billion per day by 2024, so it’s not a surprise that hackers want to inject malware into this common communication stream.

Nearly all businesses rely on email communication; for some, it’s the primary means of talking with each other. The next time you open an email, make sure the contents aren’t suspicious before clicking anything. It is also worth investing in encryption software as an added line of defense.

Most hackers attack vulnerable systems to make money. In many cases, they phish information from their victims and then list it for sale on the dark web to other cybercriminals. In other cases, the hackers gain access to a company’s systems and demand a ransom to release their hold.

When a cyber-attack happens, time is of the essence. Every second that the breach goes unnoticed is money that the business loses. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much improvement on the average time it takes for a typical company to identify a security breach compared to 2019.

IBM’s report indicates that it takes an average of 280 days to stop a breach, which is one day worse than the previous year’s report. Cyber-attacks are on the rise while defenses have stayed the same, telling us that security managers may need to change their approach to thwarting cyber-attacks.

Sophisticated hackers can commit fraud on a global scale. IBM’s report also revealed that a global data breach’s financial impact is an astounding $3.86 million.

If your business uses a WordPress site, make sure someone monitors its activity. Website maintenance app Glow released data revealing that the websites it maintained saw more than 50,000 suspicious login attempts in just one month, averaging to about 1,400 attempts per website in 30 days.

IBM’s report continues to reflect the importance for a small business to invest in robust security systems that can detect threats faster. The sooner a company can detect a breach, the smaller the overall financial loss.

The United States has comprehensive breach notification laws, which drives up the number of reported cases. Organizations affected by a breach must inform their customers and any involved third parties, so the United States easily tops the ranked list.

According to Risk Based Security’s report, 2,630 publicly disclosed breaches happened in the United States.

BeyondTrust, a leading cybersecurity firm, predicts that Internet of Things (IoT) devices will become major targets for hackers. Why? Because IoT devices (e.g. smart TVs, smart speakers, connected toys, wearables, smart appliances, etc) are not built with cybersecurity in mind and these smart gadgets can be exploited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do most cyber attacks come from?

Russia, Brazil, and China are the top three countries where cyber-attacks originate.

Russian hackers tend to target banks in the U.S. and Europe. Since the 20th century, Russia’s education system encourages the pursuit of scientific knowledge and curiosity in its students, which has had the side effect of fostering cybercriminals.

Brazilian hackers typically use simple Russian-inspired tactics that have little risk of exposure. Hackers in China send mass SMS messages in an attempt to coerce victims into fraudulent transfers.

How long do cyber attacks take to detect?

On average, it takes about 280 days to detect and stop a cyberattack. It takes about 197 days for a typical organization to identify a threat, but some breaches can avoid detection for a long time. How long it takes for your company to remove a threat depends on how robust your security system is.

Once detected, an attack often persists for another 69 days on average. Companies that can subdue attacks in less time can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in recovery costs.

How frequently do cyber attacks occur?

Cyber-attacks occur more than 2,000 times every day, or about once every 39 seconds.

Thanks to the pandemic, remote work is the new trend. Most workers use their own laptops or other devices that lack sufficient security to log in to work. Cybercriminals see these unsecured connections as open invitations to hack, further increasing the need for organizations to implement a strong security solution for employees.

How many cyber attacks occur each day?

According to the University of Maryland, cybersecurity attacks occur once every 39 seconds, translating to 2,244 times on a typical day. It’s a shocking fact already, but the FBI reported up to 4,000 attack complaints per day during the pandemic.

Microsoft also reported a shocking increase in pandemic-related attacks. In the United States alone, social engineering and phishing attacks peaked at 30,000 a day.

What was the worst cybersecurity attack?

Yahoo! is notorious for suffering two massive data breaches within about a year of each other. The first occurred in August 2013, and the next occurred late the following year. The company announced the second breach in September 2016, reporting that hackers had exposed data for over 500 million user accounts. Yahoo! announced the first breach a few months later; it was believed the event impacted more than 1 billion user accounts.

In October 2017, Yahoo! finally confirmed that all 3 billion user accounts were affected by the two breaches, making them the most significant in history.

What are the best cybersecurity prevention techniques?

Today, the best security techniques available are encryption, antivirus, firewall, digital signatures, and two-factor authentication.

Organizations are responsible for protecting customer data and keeping it from unauthorized access. As unsettling as these cybersecurity statistics maybe, part of a company’s duty is to ensure its cybersecurity defense system has everything it needs to succeed.

Cyber Security Statistics: Key Takeaways

Overall, cyber security is a big issue and it’s only getting bigger. As phishing attempts, malware, identity theft, and huge data breaches increase daily, the world is looking at an epidemic that will only be solved with world-wide action.

Understanding the issue and educating the masses on how to address large-scale insecurities in the system is the first step to ensuring that hackers don’t have a chance in stealing information and your identity (at home or at work).

The first step to improving your cyber defenses is understanding how at-risk your company is for an attack and identifying vulnerabilities you can fix.

Risk assessment can help you determine where your business’s security system is lacking, allowing you to create a plan of action that includes guidance on security, user training, and advice on how best to protect sensitive information.

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