Symantec has recently released their “Internet Security Threat Report 2014,” and in it they found that targeted cyber-attacks went up dramatically last year. The number of so called ‘spear-phishing’ attacks went up by 91% last year, with the report calling 2013, “the year of the mega breach.” With a 62% increase in the number of security breaches, and a significant number of them leading to high dollar losses for business (the report found that there were at least 8 individual attacks that led to $10+ Million losses each).
In addition to this significant growth in cyber-attacks against specific businesses, there was also a big push against personal users. The report found that in 2013, the number of ‘ransomware’ attacks went up by 500%. These attacks render a computer virtually unusable, while demanding the user pay a fee to have it fixed.
The success of both the attacks against businesses, and personal computers are largely the result of individual users not being careful with their data. Users who fail to take basic precautions can make it possible for cyber-criminals to gain access to computers, or entire networks.
Computer professionals have been telling users about the importance of things like using complicated passwords, changing passwords on a regular basis, and keeping personal and business data separate for years. It seems, however, that many people refuse to take this advice, which leads to a wide range of different vulnerabilities.
People who make a living on their computer, such as performance marketers, should be especially careful to ensure their data is kept safe. For digital marketers, these types of attacks don’t just represent an inconvenience; they can have a significant impact on your livelihood.
You can see the report from Symantec HERE.
