Data presented by Atlas VPN show that worldwide 78% of companies have experienced an increase in the volume of cyber attacks because of a switch to remote work. Unrepairable personal devices, erratic employee behavior and inadequately secured home networks create many loopholes for threat actors to exploit.
The study shows that 96% of companies in France experienced a significant increase in the number of attacks due to the switch to a WFH (Work From Home) environment. Respondents were from various industries and 14 different countries.
The second most affected country is Australia, where 89% of cybersecurity professionals reported that attacks increased due to employees working remotely. The UK and Japan share third and fourth place, with 86 percent of respondents saying they've noticed a significant jump in cyber threats over the past year.
About 84% of companies in Saudi Arabia, 83% in the Netherlands, 82% in Singapore and 80% in the UAE said attacks had increased substantially. Canada is in line with the global average, where 78% of businesses have seen an increase in the volume of cyber attacks because of an increase in people working from home.
Interestingly, the United States is at the bottom of the scale, with 63% of cybersecurity professionals reporting an increase in cyber threats in the last year. In addition, 79% of respondents noted that attacks had become more sophisticated. That is, hackers are willing to spend more time creating targeted attacks.
Atlas VPN found that more than 5 billion personal records were leaked in the first quarter of 2021, and there were 37 billion data records leaked in 2020, an increase of 140% over the previous year.
