Cyber attacks on companies on the rise

Attention! Cyber attacks on companies on the rise

2024-10-28 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

Criminal hackers are not always far from the center of the attack. Cyber threats can also come from your own employees or business partners—even if they are only unintentional ...

According to a survey by Hiscox, cyber attacks on companies are on the rise worldwide. Here is a summary that paints a picture of the current cyber threat situation ...(Image: Anti Piracery) — According to a survey by Hiscox, cyber attacks on companies are on the rise worldwide. Here is a summary that paints a picture of the current cyber threat situation ...
(Image: Anti Piracery)

The number of cyberattacks on companies continues to rise according to an international survey of managers, dpa has learned. According to the British insurer Hiscox, over two thirds (67%) of the 2,150 managers surveyed from the USA, Germany and six other European countries reported an increase in attacks in the past 12 months. In Germany, the result was slightly lower at 60 percent. The top threat continues to be ransomware.

This all belongs to the cyber attack category:

According to the survey's definition, a cyberattack covers a broad spectrum from malicious phishing emails and the blocking of company networks by blackmail software (ransomware) to the detour of company funds to hacker accounts. The most common gateway for hackers was found to be vulnerabilities in accessing cloud servers, followed by the risks posed by the company's own employees—for example, if they fall for phishing emails. However, as already mentioned, the danger is by no means only posed by criminal hackers in distant countries. Around 42 percent of those surveyed classified employees, subcontractors or business partners as risk factors. Social engineering also contributes to this. This term describes the manipulation of employees in order to gain access to sensitive company data. A common method is a scam known as fake president, in which hackers pretend to be superiors and then trigger payments to their own accounts, according to reports.

Ransom payments are usually free

Around 58 percent of respondents reported financial losses caused by payment fraud. According to the survey, this is now the most common form of damage. However, online extortion is also still a common criminal business model. The perpetrators are known to encrypt company networks and then demand a ransom to unlock them. The experts advise not to get involved, because often enough the data is not released anyway.

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