Latest White House audit reveals extent of ‘cyber incidents’
The White House audit, released last week, defines “cyber incidents” as “a violation or imminent threat of violation of computer security policies, acceptable use policies, or standard computer security practices”. It reveals that, in 2015, the government was hit by more than 77,000 of such incidences.
However, the audit is also quick to point out that part of the increase is due to their increased ability to identify and detect such incidents and that only a small number would be considered significant breaches.
In his annual budget request, President Barack Obama asked for $19bn for cyber security funding, $5bn more than last year.
Last year, a study from Juniper Research, ‘The Future of Cybercrime & Security: Financial and Corporate Threats and Mitigation’, estimated that by 2019 the cost of data breaches will reach $2.1 trillion – four times the total expected for 2015. The average cost of a data breach is expected to exceed $150 million by 2020 as more business infrastructure is connected.
