Software-driven organizations that process sensitive data are increasingly exposed to risks of data breaches. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Reports reminds us that the average cost of a data breach rose from $3.86M to $4.24M (2021) and that the chance for an organization to experience a data breach within two years is 29.6% (2019).

Data breaches happen to companies across all industries, even within highly secure organizations. In fact, 45 percent of companies experienced a data breach in 2021, a figure that’s bound to increase this year. While you can’t always prevent a data breach, there are steps that you can take to mitigate the damage. It’s also possible to fortify your defenses so your organization is ready if and when the next attack occurs.

Cybercrime has become more prevalent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, 81% of organizations worldwide experienced an uptick in cyber threats and 79% suffered downtime due to cyberattacks during peak season, according to a 2021 report by McAfee Enterprise and FireEye. Attacks have also become more complex. IBM and the Ponemon Institute report that the average time to spot and contain a data breach in 2021 was 287 days, a week longer than in 2020.

I walked into a business the other day. After a long conversation about the client’s need for cybersecurity and the implementation of the ISO27001 security standard, we talked about their risk appetite. “We don’t accept any risk. We’re risk-averse” said the CEO. But, is this achievable?

Data is the most valuable asset of any organization, and most employees have access to secure business data. This makes them the first line of defense against combating a cyber-attack. However, hackers target vulnerable employees with insecure devices and sophisticated techniques to access the company's network and compromise valuable data. Human error enables a vast majority of cybersecurity problems. Many employees are already aware of the dangers that their mistakes can pose.

Snyk’s Chief Architect, Josh Stella, recently hosted a webinar about cloud security. Stella was the co-founder and CEO of Fugue, a cloud security and compliance company that was acquired by Snyk. With the capabilities of Fugue, Snyk will bring its developer-first security platform into the cloud security space. During this talk, Stella discussed the missing story in every cloud breach: the tale of how, when, and where attackers operate in the cloud.