New Accenture Study Finds 87 Percent of Focused Cyberattacks Are Prevented

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With ransomware and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on the rise, the average number of focused cyberattacks per organization has more than doubled this year compared to the previous 12 months (232 through January 2018 versus 106 through January 2017). In the face of these growing cyber threats, organizations are demonstrating far more success in detecting and blocking them, according to a new study from Accenture (NYSE:ACN). Yet, despite making significant progress, only two out of five organizations are currently investing in breakthrough technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, indicating there is even more ground to be gained by increasing investment in cyber resilient innovations and solutions. The study was conducted from January to mid-March 2018 and investigated focused attacks defined as having the potential to both penetrate network defenses and cause damage, or extract high-value assets and processes from within organizations. Despite the increased pressure of ransomware attacks, which more than doubled in frequency last year, the study found organizations are upping their game and now preventing 87 percent of all focused attacks compared to 70 percent in 2017.