Key Findings from the 2023 Verizon DBIR

The 2023 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) is out, and as always, it’s packed with valuable insights for security professionals and business leaders. The report analyzed over 950,000 incidents and 5,199 confirmed breaches, providing a comprehensive snapshot of the current threat landscape. This year’s report confirms that external actors remain the biggest threat to organizations, with financial gain being the primary motive behind most breaches. In this blog post, we will examine these key takeaways and explore the cybersecurity implications for businesses.

74% of all breaches included the human element.

Human error continues to be a major contributing factor in breaches spanning various industries, even as organizations try to fight back by protecting vital infrastructure and enhancing education regarding cybersecurity procedures.

Healthcare is under (cyber)attack.

The healthcare industry is a prime target for ransomware gangs, leading to system disruptions and data breaches. While ransomware incidents in the Healthcare industry peaked in 2021, the past three years have witnessed a significant rise in data breaches caused by ransomware, involving both stolen data and encryption. This combination of attacks not only compromises more data but also creates chaos as staff struggle to perform their duties without essential systems. Mitigating these attacks is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, especially if reliable backups are lacking. Prevention and early detection are crucial in organizations with limited time and resources. It’s important not to underestimate the threat posed by such attacks and to prioritize them in your control planning.

Stolen credentials remains the #1 way bad actors are penetrating organizations.

Cybercriminals frequently exploit stolen credentials and known vulnerabilities to breach a company’s network. They gain access to emails, pilfer code from repositories, and more. Despite their simplicity, these tactics remain remarkably successful, as demonstrated by the ongoing prevalence of such attacks. This underscores the criticality of adopting security measures like multifactor authentication, patch management, and comprehensive assessment of security posture in email and email-like applications.

Ransomware still reigns.

Ransomware continues its reign as one of the top Action types present in breaches, holding statistically steady at 24%. Ransomware is ubiquitous among organizations of all sizes and in all industries. – 2023 Verizon DBIR

Want to prevent a breach? Focus on your security posture.

The best way to protect your organization is to ensure that you have a comprehensive cybersecurity program in place that includes multiple layers of protection and full visibility into your environment’s network, endpoint, and cloud activity. Your organization should focus on implementing a combination of technical measures, such as robust firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption protocols, along with organizational policies and practices that promote security awareness and adherence to best practices. By prioritizing a solid security posture, your organization can create a strong foundation for protecting your systems, networks, and sensitive data, significantly reducing the risk of cyber attacks and breaches.

Dataprise can help.

One way to bolster your organizations cybersecurity posture in the face of increasing ransomware threats is to implement a Zero Trust Network Architecture. This is a cybersecurity framework that operates on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” This means that no user or device is implicitly trusted, requiring credentials and constant verification. Our expert Jeff breaks it down here:

Get the visibility, expertise, and technology required to stop attackers in their tracks with Dataprise Managed Cybersecurity solutions and support. To learn more about how Dataprise can help ensure business continuity and safeguard critical data and systems, contact us to set up a discovery call.