According to a report by Netwrix, 65% of organizations in the enterprise sector experienced a cyberattack in the last year, which is similar to the results among companies of all sizes. The survey also highlighted that larger organizations are a more frequent target for ransomware or other malware attacks, with 48% of enterprises experiencing this type of security incident on premises, compared to 37% among organizations of all sizes.
Phishing, ransomware, and user account compromise were identified as the most common security incidents across all organizations. Malware attacks are less common in the cloud, with just 21% of respondents in the enterprise sector experiencing one within the last 12 months.
Dmitry Sotnikov, VP of Product Management at Netwrix, stated, “It is no surprise that the enterprise sector suffers malware attacks at a higher rate than smaller organizations…the larger an organization is, the costlier an operational disruption will be.”
However, larger organizations have more tools to spot attacks that might go unnoticed by smaller businesses. Enterprises also have a bigger infrastructure with more endpoints which, statistically, increases the chance of a security incident.
The financial damage from cyber threats is also more substantial among enterprises. 28% of enterprises estimated their financial damage from cyber attacks to be $50,000 and higher, compared to just 16% among organizations overall.
There is a common misconception that cyber criminals only target large organizations that store intellectual property and sensitive data. However, the survey shows that regardless of size, every organization has valuable data and is a target for attackers. SMBs are not only a target on their own, but they also serve as a way into the larger enterprises that consume their services.
Dirk Schrader, VP of Security Research at Netwrix, said, “Smaller companies often underestimate their risk of attack…What’s more, SMBs are not only a target on their own, but as a way into the larger enterprises that consume their services.”
The report highlights the importance of cybersecurity for all organizations, regardless of their size. Every organization needs to take appropriate measures to protect their data from cyber criminals. Fortunately, with the right tools and strategies, cybersecurity risks can be mitigated effectively.