“Verizon’s data breach report for 2021 frames the degree to which the pandemic has influenced cyber criminal activity, with the focus shifting strongly toward work-at-home infrastructure. 39% of all data breaches in 2020 stemmed from web application compromise, and both phishing and ransomware incidents jumped significantly from 2019. One thing has not changed, however—human negligence continues to be the leading cause of security breaches.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on many of the security challenges organizations are currently facing,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “As the number of companies switching business-critical functions to the cloud increases, the potential threat to their operations may become more pronounced, as malicious actors look to exploit human vulnerabilities and leverage an increased dependency on digital infrastructures.”
