Alliance Survey
Cyber attacks are the greatest threat to companies worldwide
Managers and security professionals around the world see cyberattacks as the greatest threat to organizations. (Archive image) Photo: Nicolas Armer/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Criminal hackers are the greatest threat to companies worldwide. This is the result of the current “Risk Barometer” by experts. There is no such thing as 100% security.
Managers and security professionals around the world see cyberattacks as the greatest threat to organizations. In the current “risk barometer” of the industrial insurer AGCS, which belongs to Allianz, criminal hackers and their activities are in first place.
Business interruptions, natural disasters and pandemics follow in places two to four, as AGCS announced.
The company surveyed a total of 2,650 professionals in 89 countries last fall. This included over 1,200 executives from large companies with more than $500 million in annual sales. Allianz’s own experts also took part in the survey.
100% protection is not possible
Even very good IT security precautions do not protect one hundred percent against hacker attacks: “Companies invest a lot of money in the further development of IT security, but we are still finding that attackers can get through and sometimes cause enormous damage to companies,” said AGCS manager Jens Krickhahn.
The Allianz survey is consistent with other analyzes of cybercrime. The US company Cybersecurity Ventures, which is frequently cited in the IT industry, estimates that the global damage caused by cybercrime reached six trillion dollars last year. By 2025, this could increase to $10.5 trillion. The immense sum includes data theft and destruction, financial crime, lost productivity, intellectual property theft and other crimes, as well as the cost of repairing the damage.