Human errors and system problems caused the vast majority of global data breaches in 2012, with the total cost of a data breach to UK organisations rising to £2.04 million.
The cost of data breaches continues to rise in the UK and globally, however the cost of data breaches in the US has fallen, this research from Symantec and the Ponemon Institute reveals.
This is because more US organisations are appointing chief information security officers (CISOs) with enterprise-wide responsibilities, comprehensive incident response plans, and stronger overall security programmes.
Other key findings include:
- The cost of a breach to a UK organisation has risen to £2.04 million.
- In the UK human errors and malicious activity caused the vast majority of UK data breaches in 2012.
- Data breaches caused by a malicious or criminal attack are by far the most expensive.
- Training and raising awareness among employees tends to be the first measure UK businesses put in place following an attack
- The cost to a UK organisation is significantly lower for organisations that employ a person dedicated to cyber strategy.