Risk & Business Magazine Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers Fall 2016 | Page 27

CYBER ATTACKS

Majority of Cyber
Attacks Were Launched
by Company Insiders

A

BY: LLOYD SADD INSURANCE

DID YOU
KNOW?
Nearly 60 per
cent of all cyber
attacks in 2015
were launched by
“company insiders.”

ccording to figures released
by IBM, nearly 60 per
cent of all cyber attacks
in 2015 were launched by
“company insiders,” based
upon data gathered from 8,000 of
their clients’ devices. Though industry
experts have warned for years that a
company’s employees may inadvertently
make systems vulnerable, IBM found
that 44.5 % of attacks were, in fact,
malicious.

It’s important to note that IBM defined
an “insider” as anyone who had either
physical or remote access to a company’s
assets. While this would certainly
include employees, it would also include
business partners, contractors and
vendors.
While insider threats can be difficult
to detect, businesses can still work to
prevent them. Above all, it’s important
to have a cyber security plan in
place—one that manages passwords
in a mindful way and protects shared
documents. +

FALL 2016

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