Security News > 2021 > December > Exploring the current state of cybersecurity resilience

Cyberattacks surged over fivefold during the height of the pandemic, with large U.K. organisations each facing an average of 885 attempted cyberattacks in 2020 - up from 156 the previous year and more than triple the global average of 270 - according to new research from Accenture's State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2021 study.

The research, which includes a survey of nearly 500 U.K. executives, finds large U.K. companies risk becoming overwhelmed by the cost of cybercrime, estimating that cyber incidents and breaches are costing them over £1.3 million a year - £350,000 more than the global average.

"UK businesses are under siege. This past year they've not only had a global pandemic to cope with, but also an extraordinary increase in the number of cyberattacks they've had to defend against," said Giovanni Cozzolino, Security Lead for Accenture in the U.K. "It's clear that cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the overnight shift to home working and digital operations. Enterprises need to be on high alert. Whether sophisticated nation-state actors or run of the mill cybercriminals, adversaries are clearly getting more resourceful and launching attacks from every angle."

Despite soaring attempted attacks, the research found that U.K. organisations saw fewer successful breaches than the previous year - 17 compared to 30.

Nearly half of executives at large U.K. businesses report that their organisation lost over 100,000 customer records over the course of last year, a worrying leap of 28% from the previous year.

Cozzolino added: "U.K. organisations have shown incredible strength and resilience despite the rising numbers of attempted attacks. But there is still a long way to go, as more customer data continues to be exposed and new threats emerge through complicated supply chains. Faced with high costs in a difficult economic environment, they must be smart with how they spend on security. Spending more without being closely aligned to the business doesn't make your organisation safer. To achieve sustained cyber resilience, chief information security officers need to collaborate with the right executives in their organisation to understand where to prioritise."

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https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/12/31/state-of-cybersecurity-resilience/