In its seventh year of reporting on breaches from around the globe, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report has analyzed information from over 63,000 security incidents and 1367 confirmed data breaches. These insights are garnered from the contributions of 50 international organizations such as law enforcement agencies, research institutions, and private security firms.
Over the years information on thousands of breaches has been assessed, this includes data from more than one billion records. To create a structured method that is repeatable, the Vocabulary for Event Recording and Incident Sharing (VERIS) was developed to “describe who did what, to whom, with what result.”
Over the years information on thousands of breaches has been assessed, this includes data from more than one billion records. To create a structured method that is repeatable, the Vocabulary for Event Recording and Incident Sharing (VERIS) was developed to “describe who did what, to whom, with what result.”
An Overview
The Executive Summary provides a cursory overview of the findings. The report is a data-rich resource that breaks down security incidents into easy-to-understand concepts that even those with an introductory level of knowledge can internalize. The value in making this brief is that even those professionals that are not immersed in the information security industry can learn from the document and apply it to their organization.
This 7-page document is leaner on the prose, instead laying out the important information in easily read chart form. Through statistics and language devoid of tech jargon, every business owner can identify which problems affect them the most, and what solutions and precautions they can take to protect themselves, their customers, and their bottom line.
The Executive Summary provides a cursory overview of the findings. The report is a data-rich resource that breaks down security incidents into easy-to-understand concepts that even those with an introductory level of knowledge can internalize. The value in making this brief is that even those professionals that are not immersed in the information security industry can learn from the document and apply it to their organization.
This 7-page document is leaner on the prose, instead laying out the important information in easily read chart form. Through statistics and language devoid of tech jargon, every business owner can identify which problems affect them the most, and what solutions and precautions they can take to protect themselves, their customers, and their bottom line.
By the Numbers
The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report breaks down the information very efficiently and to the point. Within the first few pages of opening the document, it becomes apparent that it is time to get down to business.
The report is quick to point out that 92 % of the incidents of a data breach of the last decade—as well as 94% from 2013—fit into nine patterns. In every industry, an average of 72% of all incidents occur within the parameters of three of these patterns. The report then describes each pattern in a short Q&A style outlining what each threat is, what industries are prime targets, and what can be done to protect oneself from each threat. Each entry includes some stats specific to each pattern, but the emphasis is more on the problem and solution.
More to Come
In future pieces regarding the Verizon Data Breach Investigations report, we will go further in-depth about the findings that were released. There are many interesting facets of the report and our goal will be to expound upon the details.
Since 1999, Jacqueline has written for corporate communications, MarCom agencies, higher education, and worked within the pharmacy, steel and retail industries. Since joining the tech industry, she has found her "home".
