Tag Archives: cyber attack

Data, News

Cyber attacks are now the #1 cause of data loss, Databarracks research reveals

2022 marks the first year cyber attacks overtake human error as the top cause of data loss

New research by Databarracks has shown that 38% of organisations reported cyber attack and internal breaches as a cause of data loss in 2022.

The findings come from the annual Data Health Check, a survey of 400 IT decision makers. This year’s survey focused on themes of Ransomware, Cyber, Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.

Barnaby Mote, Managing Director of Databarracks commented: “For many of us, these results should come as no surprise. Data loss caused by cyber attacks has been increasing year on year since we began the Data Health Check in 2008. In a relatively short space of time, we’ve watched cyber attacks go from minor threat, to where we are today as the leading cause of data loss for organisations.”

Mote continued: “The seriousness of the situation cannot be overstated. The other causes of data loss have not gone away. IT teams are still dealing with similar numbers of incidents caused by human error and hardware or software failure. The growth is in addition to these causes. It is a significant burden because recovery from cyber-related data loss is typically far more difficult and time consuming.

“Of those surveyed, over half have experienced a cyber attack. We also found, perhaps unsurprisingly, ransomware is the most common form of cyber attack this year.”

Mote provided suggestions on how organisations can protect themselves.

“There are two key areas organisations can focus on to protect themselves against cyber related data loss. Firstly, improve your defences to prevent the attack occurring and secondly, improve your ability to respond and recover if you do suffer data loss.

“Your first line of defence is your staff. It’s essential that employees are trained and practice good cyber hygiene. We found that almost a quarter of organisations have not carried out cyber security training in the last year.

“Review your Disaster Recovery plans to make sure they are up to date and equipped to deal with the task at hand. Cyber incidents are very different from traditional causes of data loss. Look specifically at the frequency of your backups and the number of versions of data you keep to minimise both downtime and data loss.

“Growth in cyber-related data loss will only continue so it is critical organisations are able to respond effectively.”

View the online report here:

https://datahealthcheck.databarracks.com/2022/

Download the full report here:

https://www.databarracks.com/resources/data-health-check-2022

Cyber Attack, News

Over half of small companies aren’t taking any precautions against a possible Russian cyber attack

Small businesses were least likely to take precautions against the Russian Cyber threat

New research from Databarracks has revealed that 58% of small companies (less than 50 employees) were not taking any precautions against a possible Russian cyber attack.

The findings are from Databarracks’ 2022 Data Health Check survey of 400 IT decision makers. This year’s survey focused on themes of Ransomware, Cyber, Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.

Barnaby Mote, Managing Director of Databarracks, commented “The current risk of cyber attack is high. All organisations, regardless of size, should be taking extra precautions to protect their data.”

By comparison, only 19% of large organisations (500+ employees) surveyed said they weren’t taking any precautions.

“The most common mitigations, across all sizes of organisation were: implement or update antivirus software (40%), implement or update user access controls (35%) and increased frequency of patching and updates (34%).”

Mote continued “Cyber attacks on larger organisations make headlines. This can give the impression that they’re not happening elsewhere, but smaller organisations also suffer an enormous volume of attacks.

“Smaller organisations don’t have dedicated cyber security teams like enterprises but that doesn’t mean they are defenceless.

“The NCSC has issued official guidance on steps to take when cyber threat is heightened. The advice includes logging and monitoring, reviewing backups, reviewing incident plans, checking internet footprint and phishing response, among others.

“Focus on getting the basics of cyber security right; implementing Multi-Factor Authentication, making sure systems are kept up to date and making sure you have reliable off-site backups. Getting these things right makes a big difference in your overall resilience.

“Organisations should also consider the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials PLUS Certification. Cyber Essentials helps organisations set solid, foundational cyber security controls, and it is especially suitable for smaller businesses. The Cyber Essentials PLUS Certification includes the additional benefit of having a qualified assessor carry out an audit of those controls to demonstrate your organisation’s resilience.”

View the online report here:

https://datahealthcheck.databarracks.com/2022/

Download the full report here:

https://www.databarracks.com/resources/data-health-check-2022