Statistics in Security and Defense from AI

Tretyak
11 minutes ago
11 min read

100 Shocking Statistics in Security and Defense

I. Cybercrime & General Cybersecurity

Cybercrime-related damages are expected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
Cybercrime-related damages could escalate to $15.63 trillion by 2029.
Supply chain attacks continue to rise, with 45% of global organizations projected to be impacted by 2025.
Over 30,000 new security vulnerabilities were identified in 2024, reflecting a 17% year-over-year increase.
The average cost of a data breach was $4.88 million in 2024.
88% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error.
The average time to identify a breach is 194 days.
The average lifecycle of a breach is 292 days from identification to containment.
The likelihood that a cybercrime entity is detected and prosecuted in the U.S. is estimated at around 0.05%.
68% of breaches involved a human element in 2024.
In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 1.1 million reports of identity theft.
In 2023, security breaches saw a 72% increase from 2021.
Cyber fatigue affects as much as 42% of companies.
64% of Americans have never checked to see if they were affected by a data breach.
The U.S. was the target of 46% of cyberattacks in 2020, more than double any other country.
56% of Americans don't know what steps to take in the event of a data breach.
97% of organizations have seen an increase in cyber threats since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
Use of stolen cards is the most common type of threat.
DDoS attacks have dominated incidents, with 6,248 DDoS Attacks in 2022.
7.6 trillion intrusion attempts occurred in 2023, a 20% increase on 2022.
11.3 billion malicious intrusion attempts occurred in 2023, a 6% increase from 2022.
Over 17 billion user accounts have been leaked worldwide from 2004 to date.
Around 36 billion data records were exposed between January and April 2024.
77% of internet users worldwide worry about personal and sensitive data being stolen.
80% of companies in the US and 85% of companies in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America say they've been successfully hacked.
The US has lost 37 data points per capita to breaches between 2004 and 2024.
Russia comes second with 30 data points lost per capita.
France ranks third with 22 data points lost per capita.

II. Impact on Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)

46% of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees.
61% of SMBs were the target of a Cyberattack in 2021.
18% of cyberattacks aimed at small businesses are malware.
82% of ransomware attacks in 2021 were against companies with fewer than 1,000 employees.
37% of companies hit by ransomware had fewer than 100 employees.
Small businesses receive the highest rate of targeted malicious emails at one in 323.
Employees of small businesses experience 350% more social engineering attacks than those at larger enterprises.
87% of small businesses have customer data that could be compromised in an attack.
27% of small businesses with no cybersecurity protections at all collect customers' credit card info.
55% of people in the U.S. would be less likely to continue doing business with companies that are breached.
95% of cybersecurity incidents at SMBs cost between $826 and $653,587.
50% of SMBs report that it took 24 hours or longer to recover from an attack.
51% of small businesses said their website was down for 8-24 hours after an attack.
In 2020 alone, there were over 700,000 attacks against small businesses, totaling $2.8 billion in damages.
Nearly 40% of small businesses reported they lost crucial data as a result of an attack.
51% of small businesses that fall victim to ransomware pay the money.
75% of SMBs could not continue operating if they were hit with ransomware.
Just 17% of small businesses have cyber insurance.
48% of companies with insurance did not purchase it until after an attack.
64% of all small businesses are not familiar with cyber insurance.
47% of businesses with fewer than 50 employees have no cybersecurity budget.
51% of small businesses have no cybersecurity measures in place at all.

III. Cloud Security

In 2023, 82% of data breaches involved data stored in the cloud.
Total cloud environment intrusions increased by 75% from 2022 to 2023.
98% of organizations have a relationship with a vendor that experienced a data breach within the last two years.
In 2020, an estimated 2.3 billion people were using personal cloud storage solutions.
Around 70% of people use cloud storage services to store photos.
Around 55% of personal users use at least three different services for cloud storage.
31% of security professionals consider denial of service attacks a cloud security threat.
21% consider cloud cryptojacking a threat.
20% consider theft of service a threat.
13% consider lost mobile devices a threat.
37% consider foreign state-sponsored attacks a threat.
36% The use of stolen credentials is the most common initial access vector in cloud security incidents.
14% Phishing is the initial access vector in cloud-related incidents.
58% of businesses with cloud environments reported a phishing incident in 2023.
17% of phishing targets in 2023 were cloud apps.
Over 50% of HTTP and HTTPS malware downloads originated from cloud-based SaaS apps in 2023.

IV. Ransomware & Malware

The average ransomware payment in 2021 increased by 82% year over year to $570,000.
121 ransomware incidents were reported in the first half of 2021, up 64% year-over-year.
The largest ransom demand observed so far in 2021 is $100 million.
92% of malware is delivered by email.
Third-party app stores host 99.9% of discovered mobile malware.
Over 250,000 unique users were attacked by Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Asacub malware application.
98% of mobile malware targets Android devices.
Over the last year, MacOS malware has increased by 165%.
Malware development rates for Windows decreased by 11.6% since reaching an all-time high in 2015.
Malware is still the preferred distribution model, used 71.14% of the time over the last 12 months.
Gamut spambot was the most frequently used, with over 86% of all spambot cases involving its use.
The United States continues to host the most botnet control servers in the world (36%).
Trojans make up 51.45% of all malware.
7 out of every 10 malware payloads were ransomware.
230,000 new malware samples are produced every day.
82%: Increase in the average ransomware payment in 2021 compared to 2020.
$570,000: The average ransomware payment in 2021.
64%: Year-over-year increase in reported ransomware incidents in the first half of 2021.
$100 million: The largest observed ransomware demand in 2021.
92%: Percentage of malware delivered via email.
99.9%: Percentage of discovered mobile malware hosted on third-party app stores.
250,000: Number of unique users attacked by Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Asacub malware.
98%: Percentage of mobile malware targeting Android devices.
165%: Increase in MacOS malware over the last year.
US $2.4 million: Average cost of malware and web-based attacks for companies.
65%: Percentage of organizations that have experienced a ransomware attack.
11 days: Average downtime for organizations impacted by ransomware.
$1.85 million: Average cost of a ransomware attack, including downtime.
41%: Increase in ransomware attacks in 2023 compared to 2022.
$69 billion: Estimated global cost of ransomware in 2020.
66%: Percentage of organizations that paid the ransom in 2021.
Only 8%: Percentage of organizations that paid the ransom and got their data back.
53%: Percentage of organizations hit by ransomware that had their data restored from backups.
10 seconds: Frequency at which a new organization falls victim to ransomware.

100 Statistics: AI in Security and Defense

I. AI in Cybersecurity for Defense

74%: of IT security professionals report their organizations are suffering significant impact from AI-powered threats.
75%: of cybersecurity professionals had to modify their strategies last year to address AI-generated incidents.
97%: of cybersecurity professionals fear their organizations will face AI-generated security incidents.
93%: of businesses expect to face daily AI attacks over the next year.
32% to $40 billion: Generative AI will multiply losses from deepfakes and other attacks by this amount annually by 2027.
$12.5 billion: Impersonation scams cost this amount nationally in losses in 2023.
48%: of security professionals believe AI will power future ransomware attacks.
52%: AI-powered bid optimization improves Google Ads ROI by this amount, reducing wasted spend.
39%: AI-driven audience segmentation increases search ad conversions by this amount.
32%: AI-powered predictive analytics lowers cost-per-click (CPC) by this amount, optimizing budget allocation.
28%: AI-based ad copy generation improves ad relevance score by this amount, leading to better rankings.
45%: AI-driven automated A/B testing increases ad performance by this amount.
38%: AI-powered dynamic keyword insertion improves CTR by this amount.
$5.72 million: Organizations that don't use AI and automation have average breach costs of this amount.
$3.84 million: Organizations that extensively use AI and automation have average breach costs of this amount.
71%: of security stakeholders are confident that AI-powered security solutions are better able to block AI-powered threats than traditional1 tools.
69%: of enterprise executives believe AI will be necessary to respond to cyberattacks.
80%: Most telecom companies are counting on AI to help identify threats and thwart attacks.
594.82%: AI/ML tool usage skyrocketed by this amount between April 2023 and January 2024.
27%: Organizations using AI and automation have a lower cost of data breaches by this amount.

II. AI for Threat Detection and Analysis

90%: AI systems can detect anomalies in network traffic with over this accuracy.
95%: Machine learning algorithms can identify new malware strains with this accuracy.
85%: AI-powered systems can analyze satellite imagery with this accuracy to detect potential security threats.
80%: Natural language processing (NLP) can analyze social media posts with this accuracy to identify potential security risks.
60%: AI can process vast amounts of surveillance footage, reducing the time for threat identification by this amount.
70%: AI-driven systems can predict cyberattacks with up to this accuracy, allowing for proactive defense measures.
92%: AI algorithms can identify patterns in financial transactions with this accuracy, aiding in the detection of money laundering and terrorist financing.
80%: AI-powered tools can analyze encrypted communications to identify potential threats with this accuracy.
45%: AI can enhance intrusion detection systems (IDS) by reducing false positives by this amount.
70%: AI can automate vulnerability scanning, identifying weaknesses in systems this much faster than manual methods.

III. AI in Autonomous Systems and Robotics

$24.9 billion: The global market for AI in military robotics is projected to reach this amount by 2030.
10 times: Autonomous drones can cover this much more area than traditional surveillance methods.
99%: AI-powered robots can handle hazardous materials with this accuracy, minimizing risks to human personnel.
50%: Self-driving vehicles equipped with AI sensors can reduce accidents in military convoys by up to this amount.
AI is being used to develop next-generation fighter jets with enhanced combat capabilities.
AI-controlled underwater vehicles can conduct subsea surveillance with greater precision and efficiency.
20%: AI-powered systems can optimize military logistics, reducing fuel consumption by up to this amount.
AI is being integrated into missile defense systems to improve accuracy and response times.
30%: AI can enable the development of more effective training simulations for military personnel, reducing costs by this amount.
AI is being used to enhance the capabilities of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for reconnaissance and combat support.

IV. AI in Intelligence and Information Warfare

80%: AI can analyze vast amounts of open-source intelligence (OSINT) data to identify potential threats with this accuracy.
90%: NLP techniques can be used to detect disinformation campaigns with this accuracy.
95%: AI-powered systems can translate foreign language communications in real-time with this accuracy.
AI can be used to create highly realistic deepfakes, posing a significant threat to information warfare.
92%: AI algorithms can identify patterns in financial transactions to track terrorist funding with this accuracy.
AI is being used to develop advanced cyber weapons capable of evading traditional security measures.
AI can automate the process of target identification and tracking for military operations.
AI is being used to enhance the effectiveness of propaganda and psychological operations.
75%: AI can analyze social media data to predict and prevent social unrest with this accuracy.
AI is being used to develop more sophisticated encryption and decryption techniques.

V. Ethical and Strategic Considerations

67%: A majority of surveyed experts express concern about the potential for autonomous weapons systems to escalate conflicts.
26%: Only this percentage of surveyed individuals believe that autonomous weapons systems should be deployed without significant human oversight.
78%: of surveyed AI researchers believe there should be international regulations governing the development and use of AI in the military.
40%: Experts predict this increase in the development of AI-powered weapons systems in the next decade.
200%: The global spending on AI for military applications is projected to increase by this amount in the next five years.
60%: It is estimated that AI could automate up to this percentage of tasks currently performed by military personnel.
10 times: AI is expected to increase the speed of military decision-making by this factor.
30%: The use of AI in military operations could potentially reduce civilian casualties by up to this amount (highly debated).
AI is being used to develop new strategies for electronic warfare.
AI is being integrated into command and control systems to improve situational awareness.

VI. Cybersecurity Applications in Defense

95%: AI can automate threat detection, reducing the time to identify intrusions by this amount.
89%: Machine learning algorithms can predict cyberattacks with this accuracy.
92%: AI-powered systems can analyze network traffic in real-time, detecting anomalies with this accuracy.
98%: AI can enhance firewall capabilities, blocking malicious traffic with this effectiveness.
AI is being used to develop more resilient and self-healing network infrastructure.
80%: AI can automate security patching, reducing vulnerability windows by this amount.
99%: AI-driven systems can detect and neutralize phishing attacks with this accuracy.
AI can improve the security of critical infrastructure by monitoring and protecting industrial control systems.
AI is being used to develop advanced biometric authentication methods for secure access control.
70%: AI can automate security compliance tasks, reducing administrative overhead by this amount.

VII. AI in Surveillance and Reconnaissance

99%: AI-powered facial recognition systems can identify individuals in crowds with this accuracy (privacy concerns).
90%: AI can analyze satellite imagery to detect and track military movements with this accuracy.
Drones equipped with AI can conduct autonomous surveillance missions, covering vast areas.
AI can be used to develop advanced acoustic surveillance systems for detecting and identifying sounds.
AI-powered systems can analyze communication patterns to identify potential threats.
AI can enhance the capabilities of radar and sonar systems for improved detection and tracking.
AI is being used to develop next-generation intelligence gathering platforms.
AI can automate the process of data fusion, combining information from multiple sources.
AI is being used to develop advanced targeting systems for precision strikes.
AI can improve the effectiveness of border security and customs enforcement.

VIII. Emerging Trends and Future Projections

$88 billion: The global spending on AI in the defense sector is projected to reach this amount by 2030, representing an estimated 200% increase over current levels.
Quantum computing is expected to enhance AI capabilities in cryptography and code-breaking, potentially reducing the time to break certain encryption algorithms by 75%.
Neuromorphic computing is being explored for developing more energy-efficient AI systems for defense applications, aiming for a potential reduction in power consumption of 90% compared to traditional systems.
AI-powered swarming technology is being developed for coordinated drone attacks, with simulations showing a potential increase in mission effectiveness of 60%.
The development of Explainable AI (XAI) is crucial for building trust in AI systems used in defense, with the goal of achieving 80% human operator confidence in AI recommendations.
AI is expected to play a significant role in future space-based defense systems, potentially enabling autonomous satellite operations with 95% reliability.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are being researched for potential applications in military command and control, with early-stage trials showing a potential increase in task completion speed of 20%.
AI is being used to develop countermeasures against deepfake technology, aiming for a detection accuracy rate of 99%.
The integration of AI with 5G networks is expected to enhance real-time communication and data transfer for military operations, potentially increasing data transmission speeds by 1000%.
AI is being explored for its potential in developing new forms of cyber warfare, with early simulations suggesting a potential increase in attack effectiveness of 40%.

IX. Specific Applications

AI can analyze DNA sequences to identify potential biological weapons threats with a reported accuracy of 98%.
AI is being used to develop more effective methods for detecting and neutralizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), potentially increasing detection rates by 40%.
AI-powered systems can optimize resource allocation for disaster response and humanitarian aid, improving delivery efficiency by up to 30%.
AI is being used to enhance the capabilities of search and rescue operations, reducing search times by an average of 20%.
AI can improve the accuracy of weather forecasting for military planning, increasing prediction accuracy by approximately 15%.
AI is being used to develop advanced simulation and training environments for military personnel, reducing training costs by up to 25%.
AI can automate the process of equipment maintenance and repair in the defense sector, decreasing downtime by an estimated 50%.
AI is being used to enhance the security of military bases and installations, potentially reducing security breaches by 35%.
AI can improve the efficiency of supply chain management for the defense industry, lowering logistical costs by around 10%.
AI is being explored for its potential in developing new forms of psychological warfare, with early models showing a 60% success rate in influencing target audiences in controlled environments.