GFI Software released today the findings of a study examining business and societal impacts of cyber security issues, which revealed growing concerns of personal risk and potential for physical retaliation.
“Cyber attacks have profound consequences for the business community, whether companies are the target, or the victim of an attack elsewhere. In the last few months alone we’ve seen major corporations targeted in systematic acts of espionage and geopolitical retaliation, as well as hundreds of thousands – potentially millions - of individuals affected by the fallout of data being stolen and misused,” said Sergio Galindo, general manager of GFI Software. “Usernames, passwords, credit card data, health records – malicious use of this data by criminals can quickly create financial hardship and significant stress for affected individuals, while the negative fallout for organizations the data was stolen from can range from loss of reputation to fines, falling sales, civil and criminal legal proceedings and more.”
The survey, conducted among parallel demographics in the UK and US, found a majority of residents from both countries were actively working to increase their online security.
With 46 percent of US respondents victimized by one or more cyber crimes in the last year alone, strategies and software designed to protect Internet users are more necessary than ever.
A copy of the full results and infographic is available here.
