DALLAS – Businesses suffered nearly 43 million known security incidents in 2014, an increase of 48 percent compared with 2013, and equals some 117,000 attacks daily. Yet, many boards and executives don’t have the information and resources they need to make effective business decisions on cybersecurity, contends a new report from AT&T.
Drawing upon decades of experience operating one of the largest global networks, AT&T offers a look into the technological and operational gaps where attacks occur. “Every company either has been breached or will be breached,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobile and Business Solutions. “Keeping a business protected should be a company-wide priority. Every employee, contractor, and administrator is responsible for keeping security top of mind.”
To help businesses and consumers stay connected and up to date on the latest security news, AT&T is launching a new version of the online Security Resource Center. This portal helps keep businesses, individuals, and security professionals informed and prepared daily. It hosts the latest current security trends from AT&T experts, information on emerging issues and trends, and guides to help businesses and consumers prevent, detect, and respond to threats.
And there are threats galore. AT&T reports that there was a 62 percent increase in the number of Distributed Denial of Service attacks, or attacks that disrupted company operations, over the past 2 years. AT&T has seen a dramatic 458 percent increase in the number of times hackers searched Internet of Things connections for vulnerabilities.
However, not all businesses are taking action:
Nearly 75 percent of businesses do not involve their full board of directors in cybersecurity oversight.
Approximately 51 percent of organizations are not re-evaluating their information security as a result of high-visibility data breaches.
Roughly 78 percent of all employees do not follow the security policies set forth by their employer.
With the dramatic increase in hacker activity, AT&T believes that sharing its security insights and expertise will help others stay protected. In the first Cybersecurity Insights Report, AT&T has outlined the primary security threats businesses face both inside and outside of their companies:
Corporate espionage: Spies looking to steal intellectual property
Nation States: Groups looking to access information for their own benefit or cause
Organized cybercrime: Digital criminals that act using malware and hacking to extract information for financial gain
Hacktivists: Groups of hackers that use cyberattacks to promote social change or impact public policy
Malicious insiders: Employees or those with internal access that use company information for their own gain
Every executive should consider who has access to various types of information, and why their business might be a target. They need to know how security teams should communicate information to their board.
