Just when you thought you were doing everything right to protect yourself from cyberattacks, you learn that attacks on businesses are on the rise! According to the Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report, of the 2,000 businesses surveyed, 29% of them said they had been the target of a “major attack” in the last two years. The report provided a few scary stats:

 

84% said that organized crime was to blame for this increase in threats.

 

50% of threats are coming from foreign adversaries (perhaps taking advantage of the tenuous relationships among nation states and the difficulty in investigating and prosecuting across borders).

 

42% believe that threats from “inside the house” are on the rise (up from 34% just two years ago).

 

33% of tech leaders say they do not have the skilled staff to manage and mitigate cyberthreats. Even more say they don’t have the Big Data expertise (38%) or AI expertise (51%).

 

So, what are businesses doing to try and face his growing threat head-on? They are hiring talent with advanced cyber skills and, when the market goes dry, they are paying to train existing employees and new hires with the skills they’ll need. If they are still left wanting, they are contracting out critical efforts like security testing and intrusion detection. Some businesses are even seeking our unique partners with whom they can share the risks and take advantage of more diverse perspectives and expertise.

 

And what should YOU do as a consumer or client for this community of businesses? Continue to be careful with how you share your information (especially personal and financial), do some research into firms to make sure their online presence suggests they take cybersecurity seriously, and look out for negative news about companies with whom you do business.

 

Oh, and consider updating your resume with some cybersecurity certificates and credentials. There just may a job out there for you!