Cybersecurity: 2020 in figures and predictions for 2021

Cybersecurity threats increased at an unprecedented rate in 2020. We take a look back at the year in numbers. What will happen in 2021?

In 2020, millions of people found themselves working from home overnight, transforming the global IT environment into the perfect playground for cybercriminals. In the first half of the year alone, 36 billion files were exposed according to a report by Risk Based Security !

Let's take a look at the numbers behind this exceptional year, but first, let's define some important terms.

What is malware?

The term "Malware" comes from the contraction of the words "malicious" and "software." In short, this general term encompasses all attacks that aim to damage a computer system.
Thus, it enters your computer systems, most often via emails or on the web, without consent with the aim of stealing your private data, hacking your computer, or even spying on your activities.

What is ransomware?

The term “Ransomware” comes from the contraction of the words “ransom” and “software” in English, we sometimes also find the term “rançongiciel” in French which in the same way comes from the contraction between the words “rançon” and “software”.
It is a type of malware whose objective is to take your data hostage in order to extort money from you.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a fraud technique used to obtain personal information in order to steal the victim's identity. Cybercriminals most often attempt to retrieve passwords or banking information.

We go into much more detail on this topic in our article on How to Identify a Phishing Attempt

Cybersecurity: 2020 in figures

• The sectors most targeted by attacks are: health, information and finance and insurance ( Risk Based Security , 2020)
• As of April 2020, Google blocked 18 million malicious emails related to COVID-19 every day. ( Google , 2020)
• 86% of data breaches were aimed at extracting money ( Verizon , 2020)
• On average, victims paid ransoms of $174,559 in the first three quarters of 2020 ( Sophos , 2020)
• After dropping to 1 attempt per 10,000 emails at the end of 2019, phishing attempts returned in force in 2020 with 1 per 4,200 emails ( Symantec , 2020)
• By April 2020, more than half a million Zoom user accounts had been compromised and sold on the Dark Web ( CPO Magazine , 2020)
• 34% of data breaches involve internal actors ( Verizon , 2020)
• Data of more than 300 million individuals was compromised in 2020 ( ITRC , 2020)
• 44% of data breaches are caused by phishing attacks ( ITRC , 2020)

Cybersecurity: What to Expect in 2021 (and Beyond)

• Global cost of cybercrime damages expected to reach $6 billion (US) in 2021 ( Cybercrime Security Magazine , 2020)
• Email fraud will always be the preferred method for cybercriminals to make profit ( Tech HQ , 2020).
• 55% of business leaders plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets in 2021 ( PWC , 2020)
• It is estimated that cybersecurity threats related to connected objects (Internet of Things) will increase in the coming years ( The Future of Things , 2020)
• SMB spending on cybersecurity is expected to increase by 10% annually through 2024 ( Mason Analysis , 2020)

In summary

Cybersecurity threats increased at an unprecedented rate in 2020, forcing businesses to rethink their data security measures.

In addition to the current global climate, which has pushed populations to digitize their work and personal environments, constant technological evolution is opening more and more doors to cybercriminals.
Hence the importance of having a game plan to deal with cyberattacks before they even occur: we'll discuss this soon on the blog.

About Nexxo IT Solutions

Nexxo Solutions informatique is a company specializing in providing IT and technology services to Quebec businesses. Its mission is to offer Quebec companies IT services tailored to their needs. Acting as an external IT department, it handles all of a company's IT tasks, allowing it to focus on its business activities. It achieves this by collaborating closely with its clients and putting their interests at the center of its concerns.