FUTURE SAFE?
According to statistics released by the
US cybersecurity firm Purplesec, the
complexity and ferocity of cyberattacks
are on a swift, upwards trajectory.
For example, in 2009, the total num-
ber of malware infections reported
by US companies was 12.4 million.
Fast-forward a decade to 2018 and
that figure jumped to 812.67 million.
A recent report by security experts
Acronis has also dubbed 2021 as the
“year of extortion” because ransomware
continues to be the most prominent
cyberthreat. One strain called Maze
ransomware was widely used in 2020,
accounting for almost 50 per cent of all
ransomware cases.
Awareness and vigilance are critical,
say, experts, as statistics show that
more than 1,000 US companies had
their data leaked after not giving in to
ransomware demands during 2020,
and this trend looks set to accelerate
into 2021.
Are we likely to see fewer, but more
serious, security breaches in the future
if companies close their vulnerabilities?
Unfortunately, not, says Shenouda.
55technologymagazine.com