News
3 out of 4 companies have experienced an increase in email-based threats
February 2023 by Mimecast
Ransomware attacks have soared over the last couple of years, exhausting business leaders around the world and with the news of a malicious campaign against data centres which saw criminals steal the access credentials of some of the world’s biggest companies — including Amazon, Apple, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft, it is clear that criminals are becoming bolder with their crimes.
Due to corporate reliance on email growing, it has led to more email-based threats. As a result, businesses are becoming more vulnerable and the pressure from ransomware attacks is taking a toll on professionals.
In fact, the new 2023 State of Email Security report carried out by cybersecurity specialist, Mimecast, reveals that cyberattacks are growing increasingly sophisticated, with 97% of companies being targeted by email-based phishing attacks in 2022. This increase in cyber threats is having a real impact on business leaders, showing that cyber risk is not just an IT problem but a critical vulnerability for the organisation.
Other key findings from the research include:
– The most prevalent attacks reported are phishing, ransomware and spoofing - Phishing was found to be the most widespread, especially among large enterprises with more than 10,000 employees, where 73% reported a significant rise in phishing attempts.
– Smaller businesses were affected more severely - Although two-thirds reported falling victim to ransomware, 73% of those who acknowledged a ransomware attack were from companies with 1,000 – 5,000 employees.
– Spoofing’s the problem, DMARC’s the answer – Nearly all (91%) were aware of attempts to spoof their email domain, and 44% saw an increase. Taking advantage of DMARC is helpful for identifying fake emails.
