Cybercrime has surged, with the FBI receiving over 800,000 complaints that resulted in $12.5 billion in losses, including more than $1 billion in Texas alone, according to a report by MRT.
Speaking at the annual Cybersecurity Forum hosted by Community National Bank and the Midland Chamber of Commerce, Morgan Wright, a senior fellow at the Center for Digital Government, warned small businesses that they are not immune to cyber threats. With more than 33,000 small businesses accounting for 70% of U.S. businesses, nearly half now face cyberattacks, a sharp increase from just one in five a few years ago. Wright estimated that half of those attacked will not survive, as the financial burden of legal fees, insurance, and technical assistance can reach $500,000. He pointed to breaches at Facebook and Google, highlighting that even large corporations remain vulnerable. Wright urged businesses to strengthen cybersecurity by enforcing strong passwords, encrypting data, using multi-factor authentication, and training employees. He emphasized that the best defense remains vigilance, stating, Gray matter is the key to cybersecurity.
Threat actors have exploited 159 CVEs during the first three months of 2025, compared with 151 during the last quarter of 2024, with almost a third of vulnerabilities leveraged in attacks within a day of their disclosure, according to The Hacker News.
Attacks involving ransomware were discovered by NCC Group to have totaled 600 in March which is 32% lower than in February but 46% higher than the same month last year with the month-to-month decline believed by NCC Head of Threat Intelligence Matt Hull to be a "red herring" after the recent surge in intrusions, Infosecurity Magazine reports.
