Over a third of European businesses are victims of data theft

Since GDPR came into force, organisations across Europe have had to shift the way they operate with data. The regulation was long expected to prove difficult, and we have seen major organisations like Google and Facebook already face lawsuits for failure to comply. However, more organisation are likely to suffer similar faiths, as new figures reveal that over a third of organisations are failing to protect themselves from data theft.

>See also: The comprehensive IT security guide for CIOs

EfficientIP, a DNS security specialist, revealed the European results on its 2018 DNS Threat Report. The research highlights some of the technical causes and behavioural responses towards DNS-based threats and their potential effects on businesses across the world.

According to their study, European companies suffered the most data theft at 39%, higher than the global average of 33%.

>See also: DNS attacks – the forgotten vector that will cost millions

Nearly half of French organisations admitted to losing sensitive data (48%), and UK companies suffered the least in the region at 32%.

A third of European organisations had their websites compromised, with 48% of Spanish organisations admitting to website downtime.

A quarter of French organisations suffered a loss of business as a consequence of DNS attacks, they also had the highest cost per attack at €847,000, while the UK had the highest cost increase at 105% to €684,000.

>See also: ‘Grey websites’: The importance of DNS decision-making

David Williamson, CEO of EfficientIP said: “New regulation made it necessary for every organisation to ensure the data they keep is secure.”

“Surprisingly, our research shows European organisations have invested the least globally in technology, which can prevent data theft.”

“This could be a reason as to why the region had the most data stolen. In the year ahead, it will be interesting to see how European companies will prevent data theft and avoid regulatory fines.”

The research also found that European organisations are better than their global peers at protecting their cloud services. Just over a third of European business suffered cloud downtime, while the worldwide average sits at 40%. Germany had the lowest record of cloud outages at 28%.

 

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Andrew Ross

As a reporter with Information Age, Andrew Ross writes articles for technology leaders; helping them manage business critical issues both for today and in the future

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