According to a recent Kaspersky report, ‘How businesses can minimize the cost of a data breach’, enterprises with outdated technology can lose 47% more money when they suffer a data breach compared to those who update everything in a timely manner. For small and medium-sized businesses, the difference is even starker up to 54%.
While vulnerabilities are inevitable in any software, regular patching and updates can minimize the risk of exploitation. That’s why users are always advised to install the latest software versions as soon as they are available, even if these updates can sometimes be difficult or a time-consuming task for organizations.
Key Findings from Kaspersky Survey:
Organizatons should prioritize renewing software and be prepared to invest because doing so could save them money in the long-term.
Companies would suffer more then 47% cost due to data breach using out-dated technology, including unpatched operating systems etc. The total cost rises to $114k – 54% more compared to $74k for businesses with all required updates installed.
Chart 1: Average cost of a data breach depending on whether the company has outdated technology.
In order to save money and minimize the risk of data breaches as a result of software vulnerabilities, Kaspersky suggests the following measures:
- Ensure the organization is using the latest version of its chosen operating systems and applications, with auto-update features enabled so that the software is always up to date.
- If it is not possible to update software then organizations are advised to address this attack vector through smart separation of vulnerable nodes from the rest of the network, along with other measures.
- Enable the vulnerability assessment and patch management feature in an endpoint protection solution. This can automatically eliminate vulnerabilities in infrastructure software, proactively patch them and download essential software updates.
- It is important to boost security awareness and practical cybersecurity skills for IT managers, as they are at the frontline of IT infrastructure updates. A dedicated Security for IT Online training can help.
- For critical IT or operational technology systems, it is important to always be protected regardless of any available software updates. KasperskyOS supports this concept of cyber-immunity and can be used to build IT systems that are secure by design.
“Any additional costs for business are of course critical, especially now. The global economic situation is unstable because of the pandemic and investments in IT and IT security are predicted to decrease. This is why in this year’s ‘IT Security Economics’ report we wanted to explore how businesses can reduce the burden in case of a cybersecurity incident. It offers strong reasoning why the issue of obsolete software is so important. Even if it is impossible to get rid of it overnight, there are still some measures to mitigate the risk. Companies can not only save money, but also avoid other potential consequences – which is crucial for any business,” commentsSergey Martsynkyan, Head of B2B Product Marketing at Kaspersky.
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