In 2022, the FBI received 791,790 ransomware-related incident reports, showing how quickly extortion campaigns scale. In 2023, 462,198 new phishing sites were detected in Q4 alone, and 73% of breaches involved the human element in some way. The patterns in Incidents and Victims, Threat Volume, and User Behavior connect ransomware, phishing, and people-driven failures.
Key Takeaways
- 791,790 ransomware-related incidents were reported to the FBI in 2022
- 55% of surveyed organizations experienced an insider-related security incident in the past 12 months (2023)
- 51% of organizations experienced supply-chain security incidents (2023)
- 462,198 new phishing sites were detected in Q4 2023
- 36% of organizations reported web application attacks in 2023
- 58% of organizations experienced an increase in phishing attacks in 2023
- 67% of organizations use external or third-party services that could introduce cyber risk (2023)
- 59% of ransomware victims reported paying the ransom (2023/2024 survey year)
- 2.4 million payment card records were exposed in 2023 due to cyberattacks (US data breaches, B2B included)
- $18.4 billion was the estimated global cost of cybercrime in 2023
- 73% of breaches involved the human element in some way (2022)
- 61% of organizations report they have experienced a phishing attack — indicates phishing prevalence as a commonly reported security event
- 35% of web traffic is encrypted TLS in 2023 — indicates the share of traffic carried over encrypted channels (relevant to monitoring and visibility)
- 1,000-plus vulnerabilities are disclosed daily on average (CVE listings) — indicates the rate of newly reported software weaknesses
- 2023 saw an 8% increase in average breach investigation time compared with 2022 (mean days) — indicates worsening investigation duration
Cybercrime costs $18.4 billion globally in 2023 as phishing, ransomware, and human error drive major breaches.
Related reading
01 · Category
Incidents & Victims3 stats
01
791,790 ransomware-related incidents were reported to the FBI in 2022
02
55% of surveyed organizations experienced an insider-related security incident in the past 12 months (2023)
03
51% of organizations experienced supply-chain security incidents (2023)
Interpretation
Incidents & Victims Interpretation
For the Incidents and Victims lens, ransomware hit hard with 791,790 incidents reported to the FBI in 2022, while surveys in 2023 show that 55% of organizations faced insider-related security incidents and 51% reported supply-chain security incidents.
02 · Category
Threat Volume2 stats
01
462,198 new phishing sites were detected in Q4 2023
02
36% of organizations reported web application attacks in 2023
Interpretation
Threat Volume Interpretation
In the Threat Volume category, the detection of 462,198 new phishing sites in Q4 2023 and the fact that 36% of organizations saw web application attacks in 2023 point to a consistently high stream of online threats.
03 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
58% of organizations experienced an increase in phishing attacks in 2023
02
67% of organizations use external or third-party services that could introduce cyber risk (2023)
03
59% of ransomware victims reported paying the ransom (2023/2024 survey year)
04
44.6 million individuals were affected by breaches reported to HHS OCR in 2023
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that phishing attacks rose for 58% of organizations in 2023 while 67% rely on third party services that can add cyber risk, and those pressures help explain why ransomware victims still pay in 59% of cases.
04 · Category
Data Exposure1 stats
01
2.4 million payment card records were exposed in 2023 due to cyberattacks (US data breaches, B2B included)
Interpretation
Data Exposure Interpretation
In 2023, data exposure hit hard with 2.4 million payment card records exposed in cyberattacks, underscoring how quickly sensitive financial information can be exposed when defenses fail.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
$18.4 billion was the estimated global cost of cybercrime in 2023
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In cost analysis, cybercrime was estimated to cost $18.4 billion globally in 2023, showing that online threats are not just a security issue but a massive financial burden.
06 · Category
User Behavior1 stats
01
73% of breaches involved the human element in some way (2022)
Interpretation
User Behavior Interpretation
In the User Behavior category, 73% of breaches involved the human element in some way in 2022, showing that user actions and decisions remain a primary driver of real world security incidents.
More related reading
07 · Category
Threat Activity4 stats
01
61% of organizations report they have experienced a phishing attack — indicates phishing prevalence as a commonly reported security event
02
35% of web traffic is encrypted TLS in 2023 — indicates the share of traffic carried over encrypted channels (relevant to monitoring and visibility)
03
1,000-plus vulnerabilities are disclosed daily on average (CVE listings) — indicates the rate of newly reported software weaknesses
04
In 2023, 68% of malware samples were packed/obfuscated — indicates defensive significance for detection evasion techniques
Interpretation
Threat Activity Interpretation
Threat Activity is clearly escalating as 61% of organizations report phishing attacks while more than 1,000 new CVE vulnerabilities are disclosed daily and 68% of malware samples are packed or obfuscated, making both initial compromise and detection evasion persistent challenges.
08 · Category
Detection & Response1 stats
01
2023 saw an 8% increase in average breach investigation time compared with 2022 (mean days) — indicates worsening investigation duration
Interpretation
Detection & Response Interpretation
In the Detection and Response area, breach investigations took 8% longer in 2023 than in 2022, signaling a worsening in how quickly incidents can be investigated and handled.
09 · Category
Risk Exposure4 stats
01
73% of organizations use external or third-party services that could introduce cyber risk (2023) — indicates high reliance on third parties that can create additional attack paths
02
In 2024, 48% of organizations reported using managed detection and response (MDR) — indicates security tooling investment in detection capabilities
03
CISA’s KEV catalog had 295 vulnerabilities added by end of 2023 — indicates the volume of known exploited vulnerabilities defenders prioritize
04
In 2023, 41% of organizations reported using SBOMs for third-party risk management — indicates adoption of supply-chain visibility controls
Interpretation
Risk Exposure Interpretation
For the Risk Exposure category, the biggest signal is that 73% of organizations rely on third-party services, while only 41% use SBOMs for third-party risk management and CISA added 295 more actively exploited vulnerabilities by end of 2023, showing how supply-chain exposure is amplified by real-world threat volume.
10 · Category
Mitigation & Controls3 stats
01
44% of organizations use phishing-resistant MFA (e.g., FIDO2/WebAuthn) — indicates partial adoption of higher-assurance authentication controls
02
71% of organizations have implemented some form of security automation in response workflows in 2023 — indicates growing use of automation to reduce response time
03
NIST SP 800-53 recommends MFA for privileged accounts; privileged access should be protected by MFA — indicates an explicit control expectation in a security framework
Interpretation
Mitigation & Controls Interpretation
In Mitigation and Controls, adoption is uneven but moving in the right direction, with 44% of organizations using phishing-resistant MFA and 71% deploying security automation in response workflows in 2023, while NIST SP 800-53’s push for MFA on privileged accounts underscores that stronger authentication for high-risk access remains a key gap.
11 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
34% of web applications in a large sample were found to be vulnerable to OWASP Top 10 issues (2023 testing results)
02
60% of exploited vulnerabilities in the CISA KEV catalog were known to be exploited within 1 year of public disclosure (2022 analysis)
03
18% of phishing messages used attachment-based delivery in 2023 (2023 study)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show that 34% of web applications are vulnerable to OWASP Top 10 issues, while 60% of CISA KEV exploited flaws are already weaponized within a year of disclosure, highlighting how quickly known weaknesses translate into real-world risk.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Internet Dangers Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/internet-dangers-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Internet Dangers Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/internet-dangers-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Internet Dangers Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/internet-dangers-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+3 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)