COVID-19 Cyber Security Statistics: 40 Stats and Facts You Can’t Ignore

It’s time to face the facts.

While cyber attacks are nothing new, thanks to COVID-19, the threat is more real than ever.

It’s common practice for cybercriminals to prey on society in times of crisis. A brief reflection on the security breaches of the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis makes this immediately apparent.

The global impact of coronavirus, as well as its implications, such as quarantine measures, a remote workforce, and the length of the pandemic, have led to attacks that are more aggressive than ever.

According to Forbes, the largest cyber attack in history is predicted to occur in the next six months.

The entire organization, including the c-suite and board of directors, need to have cyber top of mind. As shared by Kaley Childs Karaffa, Director of Board Engagement at Nasdaq, “Cyber is a full board issue for every organization.”

Consider this fact: In the next month, nearly half of businesses expect to experience a data or cyber breach.

That’s one in two companies. Will it be you, or your competitor?

The good news is, there are simple, cost-effective steps to protect yourself from cyber attack, especially when working from home.

To understand the threats related to your business, this article covers the following statistics related to cybercrime and COVID-19:

The increased cyber attacks due to COVID-19
Cyber security and the finance industry
The impact of remote work on cyber security
COVID-19 phishing and domain name scams
Cyber attacks preying on the wants, needs, and fears of coronavirus

Bookmark this page for the latest updates in cyber security related to COVID-19.

Then, download your free cyber security checklist for action items to ensure cyber protection.

The Top 40 COVID-19 Cyber Security Statistics

As demonstrated by the cyber statistics outlined here, COVID 19’s impact on businesses and technology can’t be ignored.

With recent targets ranging from hospitals to private equity firms, every industry is at risk.

Statistics proving increased in cyber attacks due to COVID-19

In the next month, 49% of businesses expect to experience a data breach or cyber security incident due to a remote workforce (Source: Barracuda)
Almost half (46%) of global businesses have faced at least one cyber security threat. (Source: Dark Reading)
As of May 2nd, the FBI Reported a 300% increase in reported cyber crimes (Source: IMC Grupo)
As of March 28, the number of cyber attacks related to coronavirus grew from a few hundred daily to over 5,000 in one day alone. (Source: The Next Web)
71% of security professionals report increased security threats or attacks since the COVID-19 outbreak. (Source: TechRepublic)
Coronavirus may be the largest-ever global security threat (Source: Reed Smith)
In March, there was a 30,000% increase in COVID-19 related attacks and malware (Source: Zscaler)
Phishing is up 600% and online threats are six times higher than usual (Source: WPXI)
On a daily basis, the COVID-19 Cyber Threat Coalition receives approximately one hundred million indicators of cyber compromise (Source: Search Security)
Ransomware attacks increased 148% in March 2020
There are approximately one hundred million daily indicators of cyber compromise received by the COVID-19 Cyber Threat Coalition. (Source: Search Security)
Spikes in cyber attacks have a direct correlation with pivotal days in the coronavirus pandemic. For example, on January 30th, the day the United States declared its first case of COVID-19, cyber attacks went up 48%. (Source: Computer Weekly)