February 2024 had 712 cyber breaches accounting for more than 719 million records being compromised.

This compares to a whopping 4,645 cyber incidents in January 2024, with more than 29 billion records breached.

Here’s the other top stories you need to read:

The greatest cyber threats

The Q4 Threat Intelligence report from Mimecast revealed extortion campaigns, geopolitical threats, and attacks on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are among the greatest threats to cybersecurity defences.

Growing number of cyber attacks per day

According to Security Magazine, there are over 2,200 cyber attacks every day which breaks down to nearly 1 cyberattack every 39 seconds.

Why some cyber attacks hit harder than others

An interesting look at why some cyber attacks, like the ransomware attack on the British Library, have a greater impact than others.

The risk of QR codes

More businesses than ever are using QR codes but what is their risk? The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) shares their guidance. 

The rising cost of cyber crime

Cyber crime cost the UK economy £30.5 billion last year, hitting 1.5 million businesses, according to a study by internet service provider Beaming.

  • Small businesses experienced a 42% increase in breaches
  • Cybercrime costs rose by almost 400%
  • Phishing was the most common way businesses fell prey to cyber criminals in 2023.

AI and cyber security: what you need to know.

Useful guidance from the NCSC as more businesses turn to AI.

Cyber skills gap

Recent UK statistics paint a stark picture of the cyber skills gap; a tangible problem that poses significant risks for businesses

  • Half (50%) of the nation’s businesses are facing a basic cyber security skills gap
  • One-third (33%) have an advanced cyber security gap

Increase in ransomware

Ransomware trends signal further woes for UK financial services as there has been an increase in ransomware incidents in the first half of 2023.

  • The FCA received 51 cyber incident reports in 2023 (classified as material incidents), up 10% compared to 2022.
  • Twice as many ransomware incidents were reported in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
  • Nearly a third of all cyber incidents reported were categorised as ransomware.