Threats to confidential company data can come from a range of sources, but what are the biggest sources of risk? Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigation report suggests that external sources remain a much bigger threat.
Theft picture from Shutterstock
The study collates data from 621 confirmed data breaches and 47,000 security incidents. By Verizon’s reckoning, 92 per cent of data breaches are caused by outside attackers, with just 14 per cent attributable to internal sources. (Those figures add to more than 100 per cent since some attacks involve both internal and external sources.)
How are those attacks mounted? 67 per cent involved weak or stolen passwords; 40 per cent used malicious code, 35 per cent involve physical attacks, while 29 per cent involved social/phishing elements.
The lesson here isn’t a new one; security requires attention to multiple frontiers. To see off potential breaches, you need security software, a solid and enforced password policy, physical security and staff education.
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