With many high-profile data breaches making headlines, 2019 was a bad year in cyber security for Los Angeles businesses, and there is no end in sight. Always going for the path of least resistance and exploiting larger attack surfaces than ever before, hackers are finding new and innovative ways to hack businesses in Los Angeles.
Aside from the fact that digital data is now the most valuable commodity in the world, hackers have many more opportunities to monetize their hacking schemes. In fact, many are coming together to mimic the practices of legitimate businesses. Using the dark web, for example, they were able to form alliances, trade malicious software, and sell stolen information with ease.
It is a common theme all over the country, but cyber security in Los Angeles is especially vulnerable. Due to the city’s international reputation, entertainment industry, and heavily trafficked port, LA is the 16th worst city in America when it comes cyber security habits. If you own or operate a business in LA, here is some helpful information that can take away and fine tune your cyber security services more efficiently.
28% of breaches involved insider threats
Most data breaches stem from human error. After all, phishing scammers operate by exploiting the internet and the bad cyber security habits of poorly trained employees. In other cases, something as simple as forgetting to install a critical security patch can leave a system open to attack. Even more disturbing is that fact that over a quarter of breaches stem from malicious intent from within the organization. Among the most common insider threats come from former employees who leave the company on bad terms yet still haven’t had their access rights to mission-critical applications revoked. Click here to find out more on the Top 6 Practices Business Owners Can Use To Combat Insider Threats.
49% of malware was delivered through email
As the most popular communication protocol in the business world, it only makes sense that email is still the major delivery channel for malicious software (phishing emails). While modern email clients and services often have various security controls built in, they often lack the ability to reliably detect zero-day threats and social engineering scams. That’s why employees needs to be mindful of opening attachments, especially if they’re unexpected or come from an unknown sender. Here is a really good article on phishing: 3 Things You Need To Know About Phishing Emails And How To Fight Back
76% of cyber security breaches were financially motivated
Some data breaches are politically motivated, while others intend to cause disruption and little else. However, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that over three-quarters of breaches are financially motivated. It’s not just payment card information or bank account login details that hackers are after — it’s any kind of data that has value on the black market. This might include personally identifiable information, trade secrets, patents, or anything else that hackers can profit from at the expense of their victims.
51% of Media & Entertainment firms experience at least three cyber attacks in Los Angeles per year
What makes this statistic even worse is that 79% of these Los Angeles firms were confident that their existing cyber security solutions would keep them safe. There’s no better example of this than when Sony Pictures, a company that presumably dedicates millions to protecting its intellectual property, was hacked in 2014.
Although perpetrators of the hack obtained 47,000 Social Security numbers, what entertainment firms need to be the most aware of are the possibilities of losing control over their intellectual property. Hackers can make a hefty profit by stealing something like a movie, album, or TV commercial and holding it ransom. And since those are a media firm’s primary sources of revenue, the price of the ransom can be disastrous.
Intelecis provides CyberSecurity and IT Security Services in Los Angeles. If your business is in immediate need for cyber security help, Call us today at 949-266-2088 or email us at web@intelecis.com and we can provide you our Free Cyber Security Risk Assessment For Businesses in Los Angeles!
By partnering with us, you will receive the support and protection you need to drive your business forward and eliminate any unnecessary risks
Intelecis also provides CyberSecurity and IT Security Services in Orange County and Riverside County.
