The Data Breach Epidemic

How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting Human Weaknesses

Every year, thousands of businesses fall victim to data breaches. In 2022, over 1,800 data compromises affected more than 422 million people, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2022 Data Breach Report. As cybercriminals continue to refine their tactics, it’s clear that cyber-attacks and data breaches will not stop anytime soon. That’s why it’s so crucial for businesses to develop strong cyber security strategies. If you want to bolster your cyber security efforts, a great place to start is with your employees. Research from Stanford University suggests that human error is responsible for 88% of all data breaches. Here are the two common reasons why employees put their workplaces at risk of cyber-attacks.

Ignorance: Do you give cyber security training to new hires during onboarding? Do you host annual cyber security training to give your employees a refresher on what they need to know? If not, your employees might be completely unaware of what cyber-attacks can look like and how to protect the company.

Stress: If your employees are stressed out, overwhelmed and overworked, they may overlook potential cyber security concerns. Evaluate your employees’ workloads and, if necessary, make adjustments to ensure nobody becomes overwhelmed.