The 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report from Verizon is an in-depth and fascinating look at the numbers behind data breaches. Christopher Novak, one of the co-authors of this report and Director of Global Investigative Response at Verizon is scheduled to speak at the inaugural PLUS Cyber Liability Symposium, April 24 and 25 in Atlanta. He will certainly be discussing some of this data, and maybe even give a sneak peek at some of the data for the 2014 update.

Check out some of the highlights from the report below:

The Vast Majority of Threats are External

With 92% of threats coming from external sources, preparation is more important than ever to protect yourself and your data.

The Majority of Cyber Attacks are “Opportunistic”…

75% of attacks were not targeted, but whatever was available to the breaching party.

…And Focused on the “Low-Hanging Fruit”

Proof that preparation can pay off – if breaching your organization (or one that your organization underwrites) is overly challenging the threatening party may simply move on to easier pickings.

Most Breaches are NOT Discovered by the Breached Entity

Proof that it pays to have good partners, and that most entities can do more on the detection side – 87% of breaches were discovered by outside parties, not the breached entity.

The above highlights are just the tip of the iceberg  – if you haven’t before definitely download the entire report and review it for yourself at. Also, don’t miss co-author Christopher Novak at the PLUS Cyber Liability Symposium – registration is now open. See you there!