2018 Security Threat Report

Assessing Nine Years of Cyber Security Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Finding the right words to describe the magnitude of cyber security today is like trying to define the size and splendor of the Grand Canyon to someone unfamiliar with the natural wonder of the world. News of massive data breaches continues to make headlines. Over the last several months, disclosures of significant cyber security breaches have become routine as organizations increasingly rely on vulnerable digital technologies and third-party service providers.

Protiviti’s 2018 Security Threat Report aims to help organizations address and understand the cyber security landscape by exploring and detailing the most common digital threats today. Since 2009, Protiviti security labs in the United States have performed more than 500 in-depth security scans on behalf of a broad range of organizations to test and assess their IT systems and infrastructure for cyber security risks. Keeping the organizations anonymous, we have compiled and quantified the vulnerability and threat discoveries in our data, offering insights and trends regarding the types of threats organizations are most likely to face, the most frequently perpetrated cyber crimes, the recent acceleration of attacks, and trends in cyber attacks by industry and size, among other views.