Data breach victims up by more than 1,000%
Data breach victim figures have risen exponentially, according to new research – with one recent case alone impacting more than 6 million people. Northdoor CCO AJ Thompson has explained how organisations can help implement more effective security solutions with the support of third-party IT consultants.
“An increase of more than 1,000% with one billion people impacted by data breaches is a truly shocking statistic which proves that the situation is only getting worse, not better. With Gartner predicting that 45% of global organisations will suffer an attack by 2025, safeguarding your organisation is crucial,” Thompson said in a media alert.
He contended that the issue for most organisations is that “the sheer volume of attacks and the varying nature of the tactics and motivation behind the attacks” mean it feels like an “almost impossible task to defend against”. But as things stand, Thompson argued that whether it is ransomware, DDoS or a politically motivate disruption attack, “the bottom line is that systems are being breached too easily” – and that the situation is not going to get better on its own.
“In fact, this issue is only going to get worse over the coming months,” he continued. “Cyber-criminals are likely to be upping their efforts. They know that keeping an eye on potential vulnerabilities, ensuring that all patches are implemented regularly as well as looking at what the latest threats look like, is a daunting task at best, with many smaller organisations unable to implement much if any of these crucial actions. This is not helped by a skills shortage in the sector and internal teams struggling to fill roles and ensure that they are adequately covered.”
Illustrating this, another recent report from non-profit organisation The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) tracked 1,041,312,601 data breach victims in the second quarter of 2024. It found there was a 1,170% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when there were 81,958,874 victims. Behind this growth, the ITRC cited the Prudential data breach which impacted two million people, and the Infosys McCamish Systems incident which hit a further six million people, as the main contributors.
The Northdoor expert continued, “The key to protecting your organisation is to have an overview of possible vulnerabilities that lie within your business and your supply chain. The only way to do this effectively is to have a 360-degree, 24/7 overview of the whole of your organisation and third-parties. With internal teams struggling with their workload already, many are turning to qualified third-party IT consultants. They have teams of experts who can supplement internal teams allowing for a comprehensive view of where vulnerabilities lie.
Northdoor is an IT consultancy based in London – and will itself have been experiencing growth in demand correlating to the rise in data breaches. The firm was recently ranked among Consultancy.uk’s Top Consulting Firms in the UK, where it received a Gold rating for Data Science.
Thompson concluded, “Organisations need to establish strong security strategies starting at ground level to minimise threats. In 2024 and beyond, organisations will need to look to third-party IT consultants who can help to implement cyber security solutions that enables broad visibility and works seamlessly with existing technology stacks. Third-party IT consultants can provide 24×7 tactical coverage and ongoing strategic security recommendations, acting as an extension of an organisation’s internal team to improve its security posture.”
