U.S. companies and cyber crime - Statistics & Facts

In today’s digitalized business world, more and more companies are taking advantage of the ever-evolving opportunities of cyberspace. Whether it be to automate internal processes, adopt cloud services, or communicate with other businesses and clients, organizations are constantly embracing new digital technologies. But while the internet has become an indispensable tool for companies and industries around the world, the online landscape has also developed into an attractive hunting ground for criminals: In 2019, the number of cybercrime incidents exceeded 31,000 cases worldwide, and the global number of data breaches with confirmed data loss rose to almost 4,000 that year. This rise in online attacks is particularly visible in the United States, where many companies, individual users, and even the government has fallen victim to cyber intrusions.

What are the most common forms of cybercrime in the United States?

Thanks to ever-evolving technology features and the rapid uptick in online usage across industries, today’s cybercrime landscape is more diverse than ever. In 2019, the most common cyber attacks experienced by companies in the United States were phishing attacks. IT security experts estimate that around 65 percent of U.S. organizations fell victim to successful phishing activities via email, social media, or phone that year.

Data breaches in the United States

Over the last two decades, the number of data breaches in the United States has increased almost tenfold, as the reliance on digital data has grown among most corporations. In 2019, around 1,506 breaches were reported, marking the second-highest incident rate so far. As of 2020, the biggest online data breach worldwide remains the 2018 security breach of sales intelligence company Apollo, which saw more than nine billion data points compromised. But apart from lost data records, businesses also face legal consequences and financial damage in the wake of a cyber attack. In 2019, for example, the Atlanta-based credit agency Equifax agreed to pay a settlement of 575 million U.S. dollars following a data breach. Today, the average cost per data breach in the United States amounts to almost nine million U.S. dollars.

Cybersecurity measures among U.S. companies

There are several policies and processes that companies can implement to prevent cyber attacks and ensure digital safety. In North America, usernames and passwords remain the most commonly employed authentication methods among small businesses. But while this form of authentication serves as a first entry barrier for unauthorized parties, it does not sufficiently protect businesses from intrusions. According to a recent survey, more than 60 percent of organizations in the United States currently employ two-factor authentication to verify user identities, while the switch to passwordless approaches and artificial intelligence (AI) for cybersecurity is also visibly accelerating. Seeing that many U.S. companies had to implement remote working systems amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they will need to close protection gaps and focus on cybersecurity now more than ever.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Number of cyber security incidents worldwide: 23k

Global industry sector most targeted by cyber espionage: Finance

Number of complaints about internet crime to the IC3: 800,944

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Annual number of data compromises and individuals impacted in the United States from 2005 to 2022

Cyber Crime

Cyber crime: number of compromises and impacted individuals in U.S. 2005-2022

Cyber Crime

IC3: total damage caused by reported cyber crime 2001-2022

Global industry sectors most targeted by basic web application attacks from November 2020 to October 2021

Cyber Crime & Security

Cyber attacks: most-targeted industries 2020-2021

Recommended statistics

Overview

Basic Statistic Cyber crime incidents worldwide 2020-2021, by industry and organization size
Cyber crime incidents worldwide 2020-2021, by industry and organization size
Global number of cyber security incidents from November 2020 to October 2021, by industry and organization size
Basic Statistic Cyber attacks: most-targeted industries 2020-2021
Cyber attacks: most-targeted industries 2020-2021
Global industry sectors most targeted by basic web application attacks from November 2020 to October 2021
Basic Statistic Data breaches worldwide 2020-2021, by target industry and organization size
Data breaches worldwide 2020-2021, by target industry and organization size
Global number of data breaches with confirmed data loss from November 2020 to October 2021, by target industry and organization size
Basic Statistic Phishing: number of affected brands 2009-2022
Phishing: number of affected brands 2009-2022
Number of brands and legitimate entities targeted by phishing attacks from January 2009 to July 2022
Premium Statistic Cyber crime: distribution of breaches 2014-2019, by sector
Cyber crime: distribution of breaches 2014-2019, by sector
Distribution of data breaches in the United States from 2014 to 2019, by sector
Basic Statistic Number of global phishing sites 2013-2022
Number of global phishing sites 2013-2022
Number of unique phishing sites detected worldwide from 3rd quarter 2013 to 3rd quarter 2022

Attacks

Premium Statistic Cyber crime: attacks experienced by U.S. companies 2021
Cyber crime: attacks experienced by U.S. companies 2021
Most common types of cyber attacks experienced by companies in the United States in 2021
Basic Statistic U.S. cyber crime response lifecycle 2021
U.S. cyber crime response lifecycle 2021
Average cyber incident response timeline in the United States in 2021 (in days)
Basic Statistic Most common insider threats in the U.S. 2020
Most common insider threats in the U.S. 2020
Most common types of insider threats in the United States in 2020
Premium Statistic Most common data exfiltration behaviors during insider threats in the U.S. 2020
Most common data exfiltration behaviors during insider threats in the U.S. 2020
Most common data exfiltration behaviors during insider threats in the United States in 2020
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. organizations that experienced a ransomware attack and paid ransom 2020
Share of U.S. organizations that experienced a ransomware attack and paid ransom 2020
Share of organizations in the United States that experienced a ransomware attack and paid the ransom in 2020

Damages and consequences

Basic Statistic Cyber crime: all-time biggest online data breaches 2023
Cyber crime: all-time biggest online data breaches 2023
Number of compromised data records in selected data breaches as of April 2023 (in millions)
Basic Statistic Cyber crime: number of compromises and impacted individuals in U.S. 2005-2022
Cyber crime: number of compromises and impacted individuals in U.S. 2005-2022
Annual number of data compromises and individuals impacted in the United States from 2005 to 2022
Premium Statistic Cyber crime: distribution of data exposed 2014-2019, by sector
Cyber crime: distribution of data exposed 2014-2019, by sector
Distribution of records exposed due to data breaches in the United States from 2014 to 2019, by sector
Basic Statistic Average cost per data breach in the United States 2006-2022
Average cost per data breach in the United States 2006-2022
Average cost of a data breach in the United States from 2006 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic U.S. opinion on reportable privacy incidents 2019
U.S. opinion on reportable privacy incidents 2019
Which of the following scenarios should be reported as a potential privacy incident?

Cyber security

Premium Statistic Plans to defend against cyber attacks in organizations in U.S. 2018
Plans to defend against cyber attacks in organizations in U.S. 2018
Ways in which organizations in the United States plan to derail cyber attacks as of 2018
Premium Statistic Frequency of cyber security training for employees in organizations in the U.S. 2018
Frequency of cyber security training for employees in organizations in the U.S. 2018
Employee cyber security awareness training frequency in organizations in the United States as of 2018
Premium Statistic Cyber security regulations encountered by U.S. employees 2018
Cyber security regulations encountered by U.S. employees 2018
Cyber security regulations encountered by employees in the United States as of May 2018
Premium Statistic Identity and access management deployment status in U.S. 2018
Identity and access management deployment status in U.S. 2018
Identity and access management (IAM) deployment status in the United States as of 2018, by type
Premium Statistic North American enterprise adoption of authentication technologies 2019, by size
North American enterprise adoption of authentication technologies 2019, by size
Adoption of identity technologies in North America as of June 2019, by company size
Premium Statistic Identity management technologies used in U.S. organizations 2019
Identity management technologies used in U.S. organizations 2019
Types of identity management technologies currently used in organizations in the United States as of June 2019
Premium Statistic Required annual password changes among North American organizations 2019, by vertical
Required annual password changes among North American organizations 2019, by vertical
Comparison of required vs. actual frequency of password changes per year among organizations in North America as of June 2019, by industry
Premium Statistic Authentication-related challenges faced by North American organizations 2019
Authentication-related challenges faced by North American organizations 2019
Greatest challenges to utilizing current authentication solutions faced by organizations in North America as of June 2019
Premium Statistic Reliance on AI in response to cyber attacks 2019, by country
Reliance on AI in response to cyber attacks 2019, by country
Share of organizations that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) for cybersecurity in selected countries as of 2019
Premium Statistic AI uses for cybersecurity in organizations in selected countries 2019
AI uses for cybersecurity in organizations in selected countries 2019
Top artificial intelligence (AI) use cases for cybersecurity in organizations in selected countries as of 2019

Cyber insurance

Premium Statistic Share of SME cyber insurance claims made in North America 2015-2019, by cause of loss
Share of SME cyber insurance claims made in North America 2015-2019, by cause of loss
Share of cyber insurance claims made by SMEs in North America from 2015 to 2019, by cause of loss
Premium Statistic Average costs of SME cyber insurance claims in North America 2014-2018, by cause
Average costs of SME cyber insurance claims in North America 2014-2018, by cause
Average costs of cyber insurance claims made by SMEs in North America from 2014 to 2018, by cause of loss (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Share of cyber insurance claims made by SMEs in North America 2015-2019, by industry
Share of cyber insurance claims made by SMEs in North America 2015-2019, by industry
Share of cyber insurance claims made by SMEs in North America from 2015 to 2019, by industry
Premium Statistic Change in cyber insurance premium pricing U.S. 2017-2018
Change in cyber insurance premium pricing U.S. 2017-2018
Change in cyber insurance premium pricing in the United States from October 2017 to December 2018
Premium Statistic Reasons SMEs purchase cyber insurance U.S. 2018
Reasons SMEs purchase cyber insurance U.S. 2018
Leading reasons why SMEs purchase cyber insurance in the United States in December 2018
Premium Statistic Reasons large entities purchase cyber insurance U.S. 2018
Reasons large entities purchase cyber insurance U.S. 2018
Leading reasons why large entities purchase cyber insurance in the United States in December 2018

Report on the topic

Go to report

Top Seller

Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "U.S. companies and cyber crime" and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.