A recent study published by Hive Systems found that the media, academia and the general public overestimate the prevalence of system intrusions while underestimating more common causes of cybersecurity incidents and data breaches. A comprehensive analysis of academic publications, media trends and search engine results showed that while system intrusions account for only one-third of cybersecurity incidents and data breaches, more than two-thirds of media coverage and internet searches focused around the topic.
While the industry-standard 2023 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) listed system intrusions as the most prevalent cause of cybersecurity incidents and data breaches (35% and 25% respectively), the public perception far outweighs its pervasiveness. According to the report, not only were internet searches for system intrusions nearly twice as common (55%), the second-most common tool for data breaches — basic web application attacks — was barely explored (<1%).