9 out of 10 companies in Germany are victims of cyber attacks!

According to the survey of the German IT organization Bitkom, 9 out of 10 companies in Germany were victims of cyber attacks in 2020-2021. The total annual loss as a result of these attacks is estimated at 223 billion euros.
A survey by the German Association for the Information Economy, Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom) revealed that 90 percent of German companies have been cyberattacked.

As a result of the survey conducted by Bitkom among 1,67 companies from different branches, it has been determined that there has been an increase in the number of cases this year and last year, in which the information and production systems of the companies were blocked and ransom demanded so that the system could be operated again.

According to the Bitkom survey results, it was stated that in 2020-2021, nine out of every 10 companies in Germany faced cyber attacks such as data theft, espionage and sabotage.

Nearly 9 percent of the companies surveyed stated that cyber attacks directly threaten the existence of the company.

ANNUAL LOSS 223 BILLION EURO

Bitkom pointed out that the damage to the German economy as a result of data theft, espionage and sabotage reached 223 billion euros per year. It is stated that this is more than double the damage recorded in 2018 and 2019, and the damage caused by cyber attacks in these two years was around 103 billion euros.

The company executives who participated in the survey also stated that 59 percent of the companies where working from home is an option since the beginning of the pandemic have experienced security vulnerabilities. Bitkom President Achim Berg emphasized the importance of ensuring the security of devices, protecting communication channels and informing personnel of the dangers of cybercrime, saying, "It is not enough to just send the staff home."

The survey also revealed that companies are increasing investments in information technologies that are secure against cyber attacks. While 39 percent of companies spend above average, 24 percent spend significantly.

While companies report that some of the attacks were intentionally or unintentionally staff-related, part-time hackers are estimated to be behind 40 percent of them.