Unterfoehring (dpa) – Despite high inflation, energy concerns and the Ukraine war, the fear of a criminal cyber attack remains the greatest concern for managers and security experts. In the “Risk Barometer” published on Tuesday by the industrial insurer AGCS, which belongs to Allianz, cybercrime again ranks first as the greatest threat to companies. In second place is the often related interruption of operations, because hackers often paralyze the operations of the attacked companies during attacks with blackmail software.
For the new edition of the annual report, AGCS surveyed 2,712 security professionals and managers from 94 countries last fall, more than ever before. Among them were almost 1,300 executives from large companies with annual sales of more than $500 million.
In Germany, the picture differs somewhat from the global view: Business interruption ranks first, ahead of cybercrime, and concerns about energy prices and supply third.
In terms of cybercrime, data theft is the top concern for businesses, according to the survey, followed by ransomware extortion. AGCS cites estimates that the average cost to businesses after data breaches rose to a new record $4.35 million in 2022. A further increase to over five million dollars is therefore expected for 2023.
Also worried about the world situation
However, the uncertain global situation and economic uncertainty are certainly reflected in the report: concerns about unfavorable economic developments are now in third place, energy concerns are in fourth place and fears of politically motivated violence are in tenth place.
Corona, on the other hand, no longer plays a major role, the pandemic slipped from the top ten to the lower ranks. In the opinion of the managers and experts surveyed, climate change and natural disasters have lost some of their urgency. The former slipped from sixth to seventh place, the latter from third to sixth place.
The shortage of skilled workers is now evidently perceived as a problem in companies worldwide and appears for the first time in eighth place in the list of the ten greatest corporate risks.
“Companies – particularly in Europe and the US – are concerned about the ongoing “permacrisis” resulting from the aftermath of the pandemic and the economic and political impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine,” commented AGCS CEO Joachim Müller. “The current situation is a stress test for every company.”