Cyberattacks on the Rise: Study Warns Companies of False Security

This is the result of a survey by the consulting firm Deloitte, which was presented on Thursday. Artificial intelligence, on one hand, supports digital security, but on the other hand, also facilitates persistent attacks.

According to the survey, 100,000 attacks per day on an organization with the help of AI are no longer uncommon. "That means one attack per second," explains Evrim Bakir, Managing Partner at Deloitte Austria. Of the companies surveyed, 22 percent are affected by ransomware attacks daily, which is twice as many as in 2022.

Companies better positioned in terms of cybersecurity

However, 56 percent of companies are now also able to prevent the spread of ransomware through technical infrastructure measures. In last year's survey, it was 37 percent. "Companies have now managed to respond more effectively to the constantly changing threat landscape. The awareness-building of recent years is now bearing fruit," says Bakir.

The surveyed companies have a great interest in the use of artificial intelligence. Nearly half (45%) use AI for their own cybersecurity, such as in phishing detection. At the same time, there are concerns that generative AI could expose sensitive company data to the public. "We can assume that the combination of AI and a tense geopolitical situation will bring about new threats," said Georg Schwondra, Partner at Deloitte.

Companies should not be lulled into a false sense of security

To keep up with the increasing professionalism of attackers, it is necessary for companies to continuously expand their digital security. However, according to the survey, only a third of companies plan to increase budgets for technology in the field of cybersecurity, and personnel expansion is only a topic for a quarter. "Many are lulled into a false sense of security. Stagnant budgets are not enough to guarantee effective defense. Companies need to invest more money," said Schwondra.

The consulting firm surveyed executives from 350 medium and large companies by phone about the cyber threat situation in January and February this year. The Deloitte Cyber Security Report is published once a year.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.