FUTURE SAFE ?
According to statistics released by the US cybersecurity firm Purplesec , the complexity and ferocity of cyberattacks are on a swift , upwards trajectory . For example , in 2009 , the total number of malware infections reported by US companies was 12.4 million . Fast-forward a decade to 2018 and that figure jumped to 812.67 million .
A recent report by security experts Acronis has also dubbed 2021 as the “ year of extortion ” because ransomware continues to be the most prominent cyberthreat . One strain called Maze ransomware was widely used in 2020 , accounting for almost 50 per cent of all ransomware cases .
Awareness and vigilance are critical , say , experts , as statistics show that more than 1,000 US companies had their data leaked after not giving in to ransomware demands during 2020 , and this trend looks set to accelerate into 2021 .
Are we likely to see fewer , but more serious , security breaches in the future if companies close their vulnerabilities ? Unfortunately , not , says Shenouda .
55 technologymagazine . com