A Quarter of Global Organizations Were Hit by Seven or More Cyber Attacks in The Last Year

Trend Micro’s Cyber Risk Index, now with worldwide data, reveals elevated risk of attack

[Hong Kong, December 3, 2020] Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, published survey findings revealing 23% of global organizations suffered seven or more attacks infiltrating their networks or systems over the past year. The vast majority (83%) of surveyed organizations expect that such attacks are “somewhat” to “very” likely to be successful in the coming 12 months.

The insights are published in the latest version of Trend Micro’s Cyber Risk Index (CRI) www.trendmicro.com/cyberrisk calculated by the Ponemon Institute by measuring the gap between organizations’ current security posture and their likelihood of being attacked.

“The CRI is fast becoming an indispensable resource for CISOs looking to assess their readiness to respond to cyber attacks,” said Jon Clay, director of global threat communications for Trend Micro. “This year we’ve added data from Europe and APAC to provide truly global insight. It will help organizations across the world find better ways to cut through complexity, mitigate insider threats and skills shortages, and enhance cloud security to minimize cyber risk and drive post-pandemic success.”

The CRI is based on a numerical scale of -10 to 10, with -10 representing the highest level of risk. The current global index stands at -0.41, representing “elevated” risk, although risk is highest in the US (-1.07) due to a perceived lack of cyber preparedness versus other regions.

Responding organizations claimed their top cyber-threat risks globally are:

  •  Phishing and social engineering
  • Clickjacking
  • Ransomware
  • Fileless attacks
  • Botnets
  • Man-in-the-middle attacks

Across the globe, organizations’ key concerns are:

  • The loss of customer data
  • Access to IP and financial information
  • Customer churn
  • Stolen or damaged equipment

“Trend Micro’s CRI is a useful tool for companies to better understand their cyber risk,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, CEO for Ponemon Institute. “Expanding this to be a global resource in 2020 opens the door for more organizations to leverage this useful information. Businesses of all sizes and industries across the globe can use the CRI to improve their protection strategy and better prepare their cybersecurity posture in the year to come.”

There were differences between certain countries as well. In the US respondents were unique in listing the cost of outside consultants as a top negative consequence of attack, while in APAC damage to critical infrastructure concerned organizations.

The top global security risks within IT infrastructure were highlighted as:

  • Organizational misalignment and complexity
  • Negligent insiders
  • Cloud computing infrastructure and providers
  • Shortage of qualified personnel
  • Malicious insiders

This is the third CRI study in the US and shows a significant increase in cyber risk in 2020. The complete report shows this change over time, includes the greatest security challenges for businesses around the world, and tips to minimize security risks.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

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