Technology Advisor Blog



Key Takeaways:  Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 7/29/19 5:07 PM

DataBreachMeterEach year Verizon publishes the much-anticipated Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR).  The report is built on real-world data from 41,686 security incidents and 2,013 data breaches provided by 73 data sources, both public and private entities, spanning 86 countries worldwide.    We'll cover some of the key take-aways in this post, and if you're interested in more information, we recommend checking out the full report.  

One of the key take-aways is that small businesses are a prime target with 43% of breaches affecting SMBs.  Too many small businesses believe they're under the radar and this isn't the case.  Large, well-known businesses make the headlines when a breach occurs, but SMBs aren't safe.  Ransomware as a service has become a big money maker.  Any business that stores financial or other protected information is a target, and in the case of ransoware, what really matters is how important is the data to youCan your business run without access to your data for days or weeks while you try to recovery from a ransomware attack?    

Another significant data point  is that email is still the top threat vector for hackers to deliver malware to targets. After reviewing millions of malware detonations, Verizon found that the median company received over 94% of their detected malware through email.  We have a mantra:  "Think before you click!"  Fake invoices, fake resumes, fill inboxes of busy professionals.  We strongly recommend email security scanning AND employee training based on actual phishing test cases.

One of the biggest concerns from the report is that while attackers are quick to extract stolen data, defenders are distressingly slow to detect that compromise even occurred. On average, 56% of the breaches identified in this report ‘took months or longer’ to discover. The time it takes hackers to gain a foothold then actually compromise the asset can be measured in minutes. Many businesses don’t realize they are breached until the stolen info becomes public.  We strongly recommend detection tools and Dark Web monitoring to help make sure threats are detected early for the fastest response.

Data breaches continue to make headlines and this is the world we now live in.  It seems no matter what defensive measures security professionals put in place, attackers are able to circumvent them.  No organization is too large or too small to fall victim to a data breach and no industry vertical is immune to attack.  It's a scary situation, but there's actually a lot you can do at an affordable price to stay protected.

Having a sound understanding of the threats you and your peer organizations face, how they have evolved over time, and which tactics are most likely to be utilized can
prepare you to manage these risks more effectively and efficiently.   We strongly advise all businesses to work through a disaster recovery plan to make sure you have the right safeguards in place appropriate to the size of your business, and to maximize your chances of a speedy response to a threat.   The great news for SMBs is that many tools that were previously only available to enterprise class businesses are now available at an affordable SMB price.  The foundational security from years past, (firewall, antivirus, and security patches) are NOT enough to have an adequate protection level for today's threats.   

Call us for a security assessment and we'll help make recommendations to stay protected.  

 

Topics: cybersecurity, ransomware

Subscribe by Email





    Most Popular Posts



    Browse by Tag

    See all tags...


    Posts by Month

    See all months...


    Connect With Us



    Older Blog Posts

    For older Ekaru blog posts, go to ekaru.blogspot.com.