Share this post This is known as Penetration Testing or pen testing. Pen testing is like all security issues, there are both optimal and less-than-ideal ways to conduct pen tests.
Cybercrime: The scope
It seems like a daily occurrence that a major cybercrime report doesn’t dominate the news. But how big is the problem? Cybersecurity Ventures released a report recently predicting that cybercrime worldwide will cost $6 trillion annually by 2021, which is twice the amount it was in 2015. As astonishing as this prediction is, it’s even more amazing when you consider the wealth transfer to bad actors and the largely unrealized benefits that innovation, investments and risk taking bring. The losses are like a rug being pulled from under companies. They can also be devastating for their future viability.
We must not only consider the direct financial losses resulting from cybercrime but also the direct costs that enterprises incur to combat it. Gartner estimates that cybercrime currently costs $86.4 billion and will reach $1 trillion by 2021. The Internet of Things and its related technology cousins are a rapidly growing juggernaut, which is not included in this figure.
It’s obvious that the problem is enormous and the costs are immense. We just need to put the best cyber security professionals to work. But there’s a catch. Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs will reach 3.5 million by 2021. This would severely hinder companies’ ability to secure their business.
The number of Internet users continues to grow as the Internet’s content and systems continue to expand. Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that six billion people will use the Internet by 2022. This is approximately 75% of the world’s population. This figure is up from 3.8 million in 2017. More Internet users means more opportunities for attacks.
Ransomware is the most insidious cybercriminal tactic. Ransomware attacks have increased from just $325 million in 2015 to $5 billion in 2017. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that it will reach $11.5 billion by 2019. It predicts that a ransomware attack would strike every 14 seconds. This should keep CIOs awake at night and their security teams alert.
The new normal is a world of constant attacks. Security is no longer a priority, but an afterthought.
Do you want to reduce your company’s share of cybercrimes totalling $6 trillion? To learn more, download the rest of this article:
Cybercrime is a wide-ranging issue that requires rigorous pen testing.
Types of pen tests
Expectations and responsibilities for pen-testers
The most accepted practices for pen-testing
Top tools for pen testing
Considerations for pen testing by an outsourced firm or internal staff
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