Adrian Johnson
A recent report by Tokio Marine HCC International has identified the top ten cyber incidents of 2023, in terms of financial impact and reputational damage. Some key findings include:
- A nation-state attack by Hamas and its allies against Israel at the start of the conflict in the Middle East was one of the most catastrophic incidents.
- Ransomware attacks featured heavily, making up four of the top 10 cyber incidents.
- Data breaches were the second most common type of attack.
- The report also highlighted the largest DDoS attack ever recorded – a failed attack on Google.
The report also provided key risk management lessons that businesses should learn from these incidents. One of the authors of the report emphasized the need for businesses to stay vigilant as cybercrime organizations continue to commercialize the cyber industry. Ransomware, in particular, has proven to be a profitable and effective attack vector for criminal gangs and is expected to continue dominating the cybersecurity landscape. The report also discussed the impact of new IT and cyber regulations introduced in 2022 and highlighted two changes introduced in 2023 that would require careful monitoring and implementation by risk managers.
The authors also addressed the evolving cyber threat landscape and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity. They highlighted the potential of AI solutions to enhance incident detection, response speed, and overall security stance. However, they also warned that generative AI has opened the door to new innovative attacks by cybercriminals, sparking a potential arms race between criminal gangs and cybersecurity professionals.
