Europe has become a primary target of cyber criminals as new research reveals attacks have doubled in the past year.
According to the EU’s ENISA cybersecurity agency, there have been more than 300 major attacks recorded in 2020. Attacks targeted critical economic sectors, and is an increase of nearly 150% on the previous year.
The figures are also stark for public sector attacks, with a 47% rise in reported malicious hacking attempts affecting networks in healthcare sectors.
Recent attacks in the United States on government agencies, British airlines and the Irish healthcare system have created a new sense of urgency, with a renewed push for protecting critical systems and infrastructure.
Among one of the leading provides in data protection equipment, Verity Systems, a manufacturer of hard disk destroyers and degaussers, have seen a rapid increase in data protection requirements from businesses and government agencies in light of more aggressive cyber intrusions.
“The past year has been particularly difficult for businesses given the increase in cyber attacks. With degaussing and hard drive destruction, businesses and government agencies can enhance their data security and erasure to prevent theft of data, “ said David Tucker, President of Verity Systems.
With Europe in the midst of a pandemic recovery, there remain risks that data security gets overlooked in key sectors as businesses try to optimise costs to cover losses from lockdowns.
As attacks become more sophisticated, older legacy systems are also being targeted, with vulnerabilities in servers and cloud infrastructure leaving companies exposed. For businesses that are seeking to protect their data, degaussing has been more prevalent as a method of secure data erasure in the past year.
But it’s not just data erasure that matters. For businesses still reeling from cyber attacks on their own infrastructure, implementing company policies that ensure employees take the necessary precautions, is also important.
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