Cybercrime is the most lucrative criminal enterprise in the world and it can no longer be ignored. Whether you are a small or large business, you are not exempt from a possible attack. In fact, 5 out of 6 large companies were targeted in 2014; this is a 40% increase from 2013 and growing and more than 60% of attacks are directed at small businesses; that’s 3 out of 5! To give you a little insight on how much cybercrime has grown over the last few years, check out these scary statistics:
- There are 6 ransomware attacks every second
- 60% of companies experienced a data breach of some kind in 2014 and 2015
- In 2014, more than 317 million new pieces of malware were created
- Nearly 1 million malware threats are released per day
- Once a new wave of malware is released, it only takes 82 seconds to infect its first “victim”
- Global costs of cybercrime = $500 billion – $1 trillion annually
- In 2015, the average cost of an attack on a small business with less than 100 employees = $3.5 million (this is a 15% increase from 2014)
Cybercrime is no joke and should not be taken lightly
There are serious implications if your business has been infected with malware and it is important to understand how an infection can affect your business. Here are a few examples of what can happen if your network has been compromised:
- Loss of productivity
- Loss of business and sales
- Loss of customer data
- Loss of intellectual data
- Loss of customers’ trust
- Loss of customers’ loyalty
- Possible Litigation
- Long-term reputation and brand damage
- Your business can decline in market value
The amount of money and time a company will need to spend to regain their brand image, trust in existing or past clients, and acquire new clients is astronomical and it goes without saying that one breach can ultimately put your company out of business!
With statistics like these, it is important to make sure that your company is protected and your staff is educated and trained in “online hygiene”, and even more important to have a multi-layer security system set up in your network. It makes more sense and can cost less in the long run to hire a professional firm to help secure your computers and networks.
For more information, download our e-guide by filling out the form on this page, or contact us at (559) 492-5985 to set up a FREE no-risk assessment.