Cybersecurity statistics and facts you need to know

Cybersecurity statistics: What they are and why they matter

Cybersecurity statistics are data that reveal the frequency, types, and impact of cyberattacks as well as trends in vulnerabilities, breaches, and defenses. Statistics on cybersecurity are important because they highlight online risks, help identify threats and trends, and guide strategies to protect against cybercriminals.

All organizations, not just those in the cybersecurity industry, can use these insights to identify areas most vulnerable to attacks, improve their defenses, and train employees to recognize and prevent threats. They can also use this information to justify investments in cybersecurity technologies and resources.

However, cybersecurity statistics aren’t just for businesses. Policymakers rely on them to make better regulations, educators use them to teach online safety, and individuals depend on them to protect personal information. By understanding these trends, everyone can contribute to creating a safer, more secure online environment.

Data breaches poised to reach an alarming milestone

Although the total number of data breaches in 2024 has not yet been confirmed, early data indicates that the upward trend is set to continue, and the number of data breaches and their victims will likely exceed the figures recorded in 2023. To put it into perspective, 2023 saw 3,122 publicly reported data breaches — an almost 76% increase in data breach accidents compared to 2022.

The now-available data from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) for January to June 2024 reveals that over 1 billion US consumers (1,078,989,742) were affected by data breaches. This number represents a 490% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when 182,645,409 individuals were impacted. These figures indicate that 2024 is on track to set a record high for data breaches.

What’s more, these alarming figures are likely to rise further. Breached data often appears on the dark web months or even years after an attack, making it increasingly challenging for authorities to trace the source or identify the perpetrators. This delay also means that many services people rely on today may already be compromised, with attackers waiting for the perfect moment to exploit the stolen information.

One of the biggest data breaches of 2024 was the National Public Data (NPD) breach, which exposed approximately 2.9 billion records. This massive incident affected individuals across the US, UK, and Canada, with compromised data including Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth. The breach, linked to a vulnerability in a major data broker's systems, has been described as one of the largest in history by volume of affected records.

How much does a data breach cost?

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, the global average cost of a data breach reached a record $4.88 million in 2024 — a 10% jump from the previous year. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that cybercrime will cost the world $9.5 trillion in 2024. If cybercrime were measured as a country, it would rank as the third-largest economy in the world, right behind the US and China.

For the 14th year in a row, the United States recorded the highest average cost of a data breach at $9.36 million. But don’t panic — this doesn’t mean your business would automatically face a $10 million bill if it was hacked.

The cost of a breach depends on many factors, like your industry, the scale of the attack, your location, and the size of your company. For example, healthcare breaches usually cost much more than those in retail.

Why is healthcare such a big target? Hackers know that outdated systems, sensitive patient data, and the high stakes of disruption make the industry vulnerable. A cyberattack in healthcare can threaten patient safety by delaying critical treatments or shutting down medical systems. This combination of high vulnerability and life-or-death consequences keeps healthcare at the top of attackers’ hit lists.

Cybersecurity attack statistics: Why developed countries are more vulnerable

Developed countries are prime targets for cyberattacks due to their heavy reliance on digital infrastructure and the presence of high-value assets. According to the IBM report, the US alone accounted for over 40% of global data breach costs.

Hackers focus on developed countries like the US, Germany, and Japan because they are home to global corporations and financial institutions that use advanced technologies. These entities store vast amounts of sensitive data and often use interconnected systems, which makes them lucrative and easier to exploit.

What are the key cybersecurity statistics for 2024?

The cybersecurity landscape in 2024 continued to evolve, building on cybersecurity trends and statistics observed in 2023. While the average cost of a data breach in 2024 rose by 10% compared to the previous year, this financial toll represents just one part of the story.

Ransomware attacks remained a dominant threat throughout the year. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), over the past three years, roughly one-third of all data breaches involved ransomware or some other extortion techniques. The financial impact of these attacks was severe, with a median loss of $46,000 per breach.

Phishing attacks also continued to plague businesses and individuals. In the third quarter of 2024, the APWG reported 932,923 phishing attacks, an increase from 877,536 in the second quarter. 

Moreover, IBM’s latest report revealed that phishing and stolen or compromised credentials were the two most common attack vectors for the second year in a row. Stolen credentials accounted for 16% of all data breaches, while phishing accounted for 15%.

What’s more, the healthcare sector faced serious challenges in 2024. Although the average cost of a healthcare data breach dropped by 10.6% to $9.77 million, healthcare remained the most expensive industry for breaches — a rank it has held since 2011. Despite the slight decrease in costs, healthcare organizations continue to bear the brunt of cyber threats.

Cybersecurity challenges have grown more severe in 2024. Looking ahead to 2025, businesses and individuals must strengthen defenses and focus on workforce resilience to counter evolving threats. The following sections will explore more cybersecurity facts, key cyberattack statistics, and their implications for businesses and individuals.

Ransomware statistics

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files to prevent users or organizations from accessing them. Hackers then demand a ransom payment to unlock the data. While cybersecurity experts strongly advise against paying, many victims still give in, fueling the cycle.

But paying the ransom is just the tip of the iceberg. Even without factoring in the ransom, recovery costs have soared. According to Sophos' The State of Ransomware 2024 survey report, the average cost to recover from a ransomware attack reached $2.73 million in 2024 — nearly $1 million more than the $1.82 million reported the previous year.

The Sophos 2024 report revealed more interesting statistics about cybersecurity. In 2023, 63% of ransomware demands were at least $1 million, while 30% exceeded $5 million. Surprisingly, cybercriminals didn’t limit their targets to large organizations. In 2023, nearly half (46%) of businesses with less than $50 million in revenue faced seven-figure ransom demands.

IBM's report showed that 52% of ransomware victims called law enforcement, and 63% of those who contacted the police avoided paying the ransom. Involving law enforcement also reduced breach costs by nearly $1 million on average (excluding ransom payments) and shortened the time to identify and contain breaches from 297 days to 281 days.

How much does a ransomware attack cost?

According to the 2024 Sophos report, 1,097 organizations that paid ransoms in the past year reported a median payment of $2 million — a 500% increase from the $400,000 median reported in 2023.

Real-world examples highlight the scale of these costs. In June 2024, CDK Global, a major provider of software to auto dealerships, suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted services across thousands of dealerships in the US and Canada. The company reportedly paid the attackers a $25 million ransom to restore operations.

Another incident was made public soon after, in July 2024. According to Wired, in April 2024, hackers infiltrated AT&T's Snowflake cloud environment and exfiltrated call detail records of over 100 million users. To mitigate the breach, AT&T paid the hackers $370,000 in exchange for the deletion of the stolen data.

While this amount was significantly lower than some high-profile cases, it still posed a major financial strain on the company. These examples show that ransomware demands can vary widely, but the financial burden remains the same — devastating for businesses of all sizes.

More ransomware facts

Here are more recent ransomware-related cybersecurity facts and statistics:

• Only 24% of ransom payers paid the full amount demanded, while 44% negotiated a lower payment (Sophos, 2024).
• Around 70% of small and medium businesses (SMBs) admitted that the impact of a ransomware attack would be extreme or significant (Datto, 2023).
• In 82% of cases, organizations used multiple sources to fund ransom payments. Forty percent of payments came from company funds, and 23% from insurance (Sophos, 2024).
• Ransomware was the third biggest concern for IT administrators in 2023. In April 2023, 29% of IT admins identified ransomware as a major challenge, while network attacks and software vulnerability exploits were reported as the first and second biggest concerns, at 40% and 34%, respectively (JumpCloud, 2024).
• As many as 67% of CFOs said they recommended their CEO and board to pay the ransom (Splunk, 2024).
• Cybercriminals targeted backups in 94% of attacks. Of these attempts, 57% were successful (Sophos, 2024).
• A 2022 study of 145 healthcare organizations found that 25% shut down operations due to ransomware, and 60% reported severe disruptions to business processes (Trend Micro, 2022).
• In 32% of incidents involving encrypted data, attackers also stole data (Sophos, 2024).

Social engineering statistics

Social engineering is a tactic in which cybercriminals manipulate emotions to deceive people. They exploit trust, fear, and excitement to cloud judgment. This approach often causes victims to make mistakes, such as sharing sensitive information or sending money to a recipient that seems legitimate but isn’t.

Types of social engineering attacks include:

1. 1.Phishing 
2. 2.Baiting
3. 3.Pretexting
4. 4.Scareware
5. 5.Whaling

Phishing is the most common type of social engineering, but we will explore it in greater detail in the next section. For now, let’s focus on the rest of the social engineering types.

According to the Avast Q1/2024 Threat Report, nearly 90% of threats blocked in the first quarter of 2024 were social engineering attacks. On mobile devices, over 90% of threats blocked were scams or similar attacks, while desktop platforms showed a similar pattern, with 87% of threats falling into the same category.

Scams are rising sharply, with a 61% increase on mobile and a 23% increase on desktop. This surge is driven by malvertising and a flood of malicious push notifications, making it clear that scammers are getting more aggressive and creative in targeting users. Dating scams are extremely popular, especially in North America and Europe, with Central Europe becoming a new hotspot for these schemes.

How much do social engineering attacks cost?

According to Splunk, a Cisco company, the average cost of a social engineering attack is around $130,000. However, this figure doesn’t capture the full picture. The financial damage can vary widely, with smaller businesses often hit hardest because they may lack the resources to recover quickly.

On the other hand, larger organizations face greater risks to their reputation and customer trust. No matter the size of the business, the aftermath of a social engineering attack can be devastating, making prevention and awareness necessary for everyone.

Social engineering facts

Here are more recent facts and statistics about social engineering:

• The Living Secure survey found that 85% of its survey respondents said they had received a digital scam attempt. Thirty-four percent of them have experienced a cyber scam during the past 12 months (F-Secure, 2024).
• In the fall of 2023, nearly 1 in 4 people (24%) had fallen victim to an online shopping scam. The same survey found that 6 in 10 (62%) admit they now avoid shopping with small, independent online businesses (F-Secure, 2023).
• In 2023, about 20% of people targeted by an imposter scam lost money. The median loss was $800 (FTC, 2023).
• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) identified crypto and investment scams as the riskiest type of scam in 2023. While these scams didn’t have the highest median losses, which stood at $3,800, over 80% of targeted individuals reported a financial loss. Employment scams ranked as the second riskiest scam type, with a median loss of $1,995 (BBB, 2023).

Phishing statistics

Phishing is a scam technique that cybercriminals use to steal sensitive information by sending fake emails or text messages. These scammers pretend to be from reputable companies and try to manipulate you into clicking on malicious links.

Phishing attacks continued to rise in 2024. According to APWG's Q3 2024 report, 932,923 phishing attacks were recorded — a sharp increase from 877,536 attacks in the previous quarter.

APWG has uncovered an alarming cybersecurity trend — scammers are increasingly personalizing their attacks. Some phishing emails now include Google Street View images of their targets' homes, making these emails appear more credible and convincing.

Social media platforms also became a top target in Q3 2024, accounting for 30.5% of all phishing attacks. With millions of users sharing personal details online, these platforms provide a goldmine for cybercriminals. Adding to the concern, smishing, or phishing via SMS and text messages, surged by 22% compared to the previous quarter.

Gift card scams remained the most common type of phishing attack in 2024, making up 40.4% of all scams. These schemes often trick victims into buying gift cards and sharing the codes with fraudsters. Advance fee fraud was close behind, accounting for 29.8% of attacks. In these schemes, victims are promised money or rewards in exchange for upfront payments.

However, scammers aren’t just relying on generic tactics — they’re targeting the brands you trust most. Check Point’s Brand Phishing Ranking for Q1 2024 identified the top brands that hackers exploit:

• Microsoft (38%)
• Google (11%)
• LinkedIn (11%)
• Apple (5%)
• DHL (5%)
• Amazon (3%)
• Facebook (2%)
• Roblox (2%)
• Wells Fargo (2%)
• Airbnb (1%)

How much does a phishing attack cost?

The most recent data from IBM’s 2024 report reveals that the average cost of a phishing-related data breach for businesses is $4.88 million. However, that doesn’t mean every phishing attack will cost millions.

The damage depends on the size of the breach, how quickly it’s caught, and how prepared the company is. Businesses that invest in strong cybersecurity and train their teams to spot scams can stop attacks early and bounce back faster.

Phishing facts

Here are more recent facts and statistics about phishing:

• The median time to click on a malicious link after opening an email is 21 seconds, with another 28 seconds to enter data. This means users fall for phishing emails in under 60 seconds (Verizon, 2024).
• Only 1 in 10 employees remember their workplace security training (CybSafe, 2023).
• Russia is a major source of phishing attacks worldwide. In 2023, it accounted for over 30% of all unsolicited spam emails (Statista, 2024).
• In Q2 2023, OpSec Security reported that phishing attacks on the financial sector (which includes banks) accounted for 23.5% of all attacks (APWG, 2023).
• In Q1 2023, APWG reported over 40,000 unique email subject lines each month. This finding indicates that hackers are personalizing their phishing emails more frequently instead of reusing templates (APWG, 2023).
• Cybercriminals now use generative AI tools, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and a cybercrime tool called WormGPT, to improve business email compromise (BEC) attacks. A forum thread titled “Hacker’s guide to sending professional phishing emails” described a process where attackers write phishing emails in their native language, translate them with Google Translate, and refine them using ChatGPT for a polished and professional tone (Slashnext, 2023).

Malware statistics

Malware is harmful software designed to steal your data, monitor your online activity, or damage your device. It includes threats like viruses, worms, spyware, adware, and ransomware. Hackers use these tools to break into your life or business, causing chaos and stealing valuable information. 

For a long time, macOS was seen as safe from malware. But as Apple devices have grown more popular, so have threats targeting Mac users. The 2024 ThreatDown State of Malware report revealed that 11% of all malware detections on macOS in 2023 were genuine threats — a sign that hackers are increasingly targeting Mac devices.

Despite this rise, Windows continues to be the top target for hackers in 2025, facing more malware attacks than any other operating system. This threat makes it critical for Windows users to stay vigilant and invest in strong cybersecurity measures.

According to the BlackBerry® Global Threat Intelligence Report, the five countries that are most attacked in cyberspace using new, unique malware variants, are:

1. 1.The United States
2. 2.Japan
3. 3.South Korea
4. 4.Australia
5. 5.Canada

The most attacked countries in cyberspace, overall, based on the volume of attacks are:

1. 1.The United States
2. 2.South Korea
3. 3.Japan
4. 4.Australia
5. 5.New Zealand

How much do malware attacks cost?

Malware attacks can drain businesses of thousands to billions of dollars, depending on how big the breach is and how quickly they respond. Direct costs pile up fast — like the $22 million ransom Change Healthcare paid in 2024 or the $25 million demanded from London Drugs.

Even worse, paying doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your data back. Companies also face hefty bills for cybersecurity experts to investigate and recover their systems. When operations come to a halt, the costs can skyrocket. For example, a software glitch at CrowdStrike in 2024 caused global downtime that cost Fortune 500 companies an estimated $5.4 billion.

But the damage doesn’t stop there — data breaches bring lawsuits, regulatory fines, and a tarnished reputation. The hidden costs of malware can hurt even more. When customers lose trust in a company, they take their business elsewhere, creating long-term revenue losses. For industries like healthcare and finance, where people rely on uninterrupted service, the stakes are even higher. 

Malware facts

Here are more recent facts and statistics about malware:

• The AV-TEST Institute registers over 450,000 new malicious programs and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) every day. It has registered 1,447,844,700+ malware programs since 1984 (AV-TEST, 2025).
• According to the 2024 Elastic Global Threat Report, Windows hosts were the most affected, accounting for 66.12% of malware infections. Linux hosts followed with 32.2%, while macOS had the fewest infections, at just 1.68%. Trojans accounted for 82.03% of all malware types observed.
• Around 16% of mobile malware is in the form of malvertising — a type of malware that’s injected into an ad from a legitimate business (Avast, 2024).
• Between April and June 2024, BlackBerry reported an average of over 11,500 unique malware hashes being detected daily (BlackBerry, 2024).

DDoS statistics

Cybersecurity statistics can reveal how often cybercriminals target exposed IP addresses. What can someone do with your IP address? Hackers can use it to launch a DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack. During a DDoS attack, the attacker floods the victim's network or device with excessive traffic, which can slow down services or cause them to crash.

A recent report by Gcore Radar reveals that the number of DDoS attacks grew significantly in early 2024. In Q1–Q2 2024, attacks increased by 46% compared to the same period in 2023 (Q1–Q2 2023), and by 34% compared to the previous six months (Q3–Q4 2023).

The same report highlights the industries most often targeted by DDoS attacks:

• Gaming — 49%
• Technology — 15%
• Financial services — 12%
• Telecommunications — 10%
• E-commerce — 7%
• Media and entertainment — 5%
• Other — 2%

The gaming industry remains the top target for DDoS attacks, with its share rising to 49% of all incidents, up from 46% in late 2023. Since the world of online gaming is so competitive, players and groups are known to use DDoS attacks to sabotage opponents and gain an unfair advantage in matches or tournaments.

Since many games rely on constant player activity to generate revenue from in-game purchases or subscriptions, even a short downtime can hurt profits. This reliance makes the gaming industry a prime target for attackers looking to exploit its high-stakes nature.

How much does a DDoS attack cost?

Radware’s report shows that a successful application DDoS attack can cost organizations an average of $6,130 every minute. That adds up to $367,797 for just one hour of downtime.

DDoS facts

Here are more recent facts and statistics about DDoS attacks:

• The US remained the largest source of HTTP DDoS attacks, accounting for roughly 1 in every 25 such requests. China followed as the second-largest source (Cloudflare, 2023).
• DDoS attacks can represent up to 25% of a country’s total internet traffic while they are occurring (Crowdstrike, 2023).
• The biggest DDoS attack in early 2024 was an application layer attack in February. It reached an astonishing 4.7 million requests per second (RPS) (Imperva, 2024).
• DDoS attacks surged dramatically in 2024. Major sporting events drove an 89% increase, while the telecommunications and ISP (internet service provider) sectors experienced a 548% rise. Attacks on the gaming industry, including online gambling, jumped by 208%, and healthcare organizations saw a 236% increase (Imperva, 2024).
• The US remained the top target for DDoS attacks in the first half of 2024. In contrast, Slovakia, Senegal, and the Maldives experienced the fewest attacks (Imperva, 2024).
• In 2024, Cloudflare stopped the largest recorded DDoS attack, which peaked at 5.6 Tbps and 666 million packets per second. The attack lasted around 80 seconds (Cloudflare, 2024).

More interesting facts and statistics about cybersecurity

Now that we’ve covered some of the major categories of cybersecurity threats, let’s dive into more cybersecurity stats and facts to help you stay informed and prepared.

• Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that businesses worldwide will spend over $10 billion on employee security awareness training by 2027.
• The annual average cost of cybercrime is predicted to hit more than $23 trillion in 2027, up from $8.4 trillion in 2022 (from a digital press briefing with Anne Neuberger, US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, 2023).
• In the first half of 2024, attacked IoT devices spent an average of 52.8 hours under attack (SonicWall, 2024).
• Encrypted threats surged by 92%. This increase shows that cybercriminals are increasingly using advanced methods to bypass traditional security measures (SonicWall, 2024).
• In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 880,418 complaints from the US public — a 10% jump from 2022. These complaints resulted in total losses of $12.5 billion (IC3, 2023).
• In 2023, investment fraud was the most expensive type of crime reported to the IC3. Adults aged 30 to 49 were the most likely to report losses from investment fraud, while the elderly suffered more than half of the total losses to tech support scams. Business email compromise ranked as the second-costliest crime (IC3, 2023).
• In 2023, LockBit was the most prolific RaaS (ransomware as a service) provider on the market (Europol, 2024).
• In January 2023, Europol worked with German, Dutch, and US authorities to dismantle the Hive ransomware infrastructure in a global operation that involved 11 other countries, including Canada, France, and the UK. Since 2021, Hive associates have targeted over 1,500 companies across 80 countries, extorting nearly €100 million in ransom payments (Europol, 2023).
• In August 2023, an international law enforcement operation took down the Qakbot malware network. The malware infected over 700,000 computers, and victims have paid at least €54 million in ransom since 2007 (Europol, 2023).
• In 2023, smishing (SMS or text phishing) was the most common tactic fraudsters used to trick people. Meanwhile, quishing — phishing attacks carried out via QR codes — has emerged as a new threat (Europol, 2024).
• Less than one second is all it takes for hackers to crack any of the top 10 most popular passwords (NordPass, 2024).
• Downtime costs Global 2000 companies $400 billion every year, which is $200 million per company. On average, each minute of downtime costs $9,000, adding up to $540,000 for every hour of disruption (Splunk, 2024).
• Downtime hurts shareholder value. A single downtime event can cause a company’s stock price to drop by 1% to 9% (an average of 2.5%) and take about 79 days to recover (Splunk, 2024).

How to protect yourself from cyberattacks

Follow these tips to stay safe from future cyber threats:

• Use strong passwords and update them regularly. A good password combines special symbols, numbers, and both lowercase and uppercase letters. For even better protection, use a password manager like NordPass to generate and store complex passwords effortlessly.
• Enable MFA across all your accounts. With MFA (multi-factor authentication), you’ll need a second verification step in addition to your password, such as a code from your phone or an authentication app. This extra layer of security makes it much harder for hackers to access your accounts.
• Keep your software up to date. Hackers always search for software vulnerabilities and bugs to exploit, and outdated software makes you an easy target. Software updates often include critical security patches that can help protect you from cyberattacks. 
• Avoid suspicious links. If a website or email looks shady, it probably is. Cybercriminals often use them to hide malicious links and spread malware. Avoid downloading malicious code that may be hidden in unknown or untrusted sources. Use a link checker to verify if a link is safe.
• Use a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) encrypts your internet traffic. By doing so, it helps protect your privacy and makes it harder for hackers to steal your information. With online threats on the rise, a VPN is an essential tool — especially when you’re using public Wi-Fi.
• Back up your files. Hackers can lock you out of your data and demand a ransom to regain access, but having backups can save you from paying and losing important information. Regularly save copies of your files in secure locations, such as an external drive or cloud storage, to ensure you stay in control even if cybercriminals strike.
• Use a malicious website blocker. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ feature includes a malicious website blocker that blocks dangerous scam and phishing sites. This feature also includes a malware scanner that will scan the files you download for malware, along with a range of anti-phishing tools to help keep you away from unsafe sites.
• Use an antivirus. It serves as your first line of defense against malware and other malicious software. It helps protect your device and minimize damage if an infection occurs.
• Share less information about yourself online. Details like your birth date or the city you grew up in might seem harmless, but they can be goldmines for cybercriminals. The more they know, the easier it is for them to trick you — or even guess answers to your security questions. 
• Download apps from reputable sources. Stick to official app stores like Google Play or the Apple App Store, where apps are thoroughly checked for malware. Downloading from unofficial sites might seem tempting, but it puts your device and data at risk.
• Educate yourself on cybersecurity and emerging threats. The more you know, the better you can protect yourself from scams, malware, and hacking attempts. To make protecting yourself easier, enable scam and fraud alerts to get instant warnings about malicious sites. Cybercriminals are always changing their tactics, so staying informed is your best defense against them.

Cybersecurity in 2025

According to a recent Palo Alto Networks report, by 2026, most advanced cyberattacks will employ AI. These AI-powered threats will respond instantly to defenses, creating an ongoing battle between attackers and cybersecurity teams to outsmart each other.

Organizations need to stay ahead of emerging threats by creating agile security strategies that can adapt to the constantly evolving cyber environment. These strategies should include investing in advanced tools, training employees on the latest risks, and preparing to respond quickly to new types of attacks.