Top 35 Data Security Statistics to Know in 2023

As we progress further into 2023, the worrisome reality is that data security threats continue to evolve despite technological advancements. The numbers indicate that these threats are becoming more sophisticated and complex, posing a significant challenge to businesses. 

With data breaches and cyber threats becoming increasingly common, it becomes crucial for you and other security leaders to understand the risks associated with an organization’s most valuable asset: data. The ever-changing landscape of data security requires you to stay informed about the latest trends to effectively manage expectations and implement robust security measures. 

This article highlights some of the more recent data security statistics so that you can prepare your organization for what’s ahead.

Data Security Statistics and Facts 

1. The average savings of containing a data breach within 200 days or less is $1.02M.

2. In 2023, the average time taken to identify and contain a breach is 277 days—about 9 months. Additionally, organizations have a short 72-hour window to notify authorities about any breach.
   
3. 71% of information security leaders find value in investing in automated data risk assessments.
   
4. According to the Global Data Protection Index, 64% of organizations experienced a disruptive data loss incident in the past year.

5. The United States has the highest data breach costs of $9.48M, for the 13th consecutive year.  

6. More than half of organizations’ data is characterized as dark data.

7. 39% of information security leaders said that legacy technology was insufficient for their current data security requirements.

8. The share of corporate data stored in the cloud increased to 60% in 2022. 

9. 83% of all data migration projects fail and more than 50% of migrations exceed their budget.

10. Organizations that extensively implemented AI and automation capabilities within their existing approach needed a 108-day shorter time to identify and contain a data breach. 

11. 74% of all data breaches involve a human element.
    
12. 40% of information security leaders utilized fragmented data security approaches based on deployment models.

13. Artificial intelligence saved organizations up to $3.81M per breach, by providing the most concrete cost mitigation in data breaches.

14. The median time for an attacker to access private data when a victim falls for a phishing email is only 1 hour and 12 minutes.

15. 24% of information security leaders were unsure of where to start concerning their organization’s data security program.

16. Only 36% of organizations have visibility into the access and permissions levels possessed by internal and external users.

17. By 2025, Gartner predicts that lack of talent or human failure will be responsible for more than half of overall significant cyber incidents.

18. In 2023, 95% of breaches are financially motivated, which counters the hype about nation-state espionage.

19. 84% say Data Loss Protection (DLP) is more difficult with a remote workforce.

20. 66% of information security leaders wish to benefit from automated data discovery and classification.
    
21. 67% of organizations are concerned that their existing data protection approach may not be sufficient to cope with increasing malware and ransomware threats.

22. 57% of respondents indicated that data breaches led to an increase in the pricing of their business offerings.

23. 47% of information security leaders indicated that their data security processes were manual and time-consuming.

24. 73% of security professionals rely on spreadsheets for security hygiene and posture management.

25. A cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds. 

26. The amount of spending per full-time employee for cyber security was $2,691 in 2020.

27. 42% of information security leaders implemented data security technologies that took too long.

28. 69% of companies indicate that data loss and leakage are among their biggest cloud security concerns.

29. More than 35% of data loss prevention (DLP) implementations fail.

30. Organizations often discover 40% more sensitive data than they thought they had when using an automated scanner.

31. By 2025, 50% of organizations will have already adopted formal programs to manage insider risks, up from 10% in 2023.

32. Less than 1% of companies have 95% or more visibility into their sensitive assets.

33. 72% of information security leaders want a Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) solution.
    
34. 84% of customers are likely to be loyal to a company with strong security controls.
    
35. 58% of organizations don’t even acknowledge data breach disclosures. 
    

Protect your Sensitive Data today with Cyera

Year after year, the threat landscape continues to grow with greater sophistication from cybercriminals and increased demands from regulators. You and other security leaders must stay ahead of these trends, not only from a knowledge perspective but from a solutions perspective that enables quick and thorough responses to evolving threats. In order to safeguard your most valuable data, it is crucial to adapt your approach.

Cyera takes a data-centric approach to security, assessing the exposure to your data at rest and in use and applying multiple layers of defense. Because Cyera applies deep data context holistically across your data landscape, we are the only solution that can empower security teams to know where their data is, what exposes it to risk, and take immediate action to remediate exposures and assure compliance without disrupting the business.

To learn more about how Cyera can help you gain visibility to your sensitive data and strengthen your security posture, schedule a demo today.