The number is significantly higher in the US, but much lower in Europe thanks to GDPR. Almost half of large companies experienced a data breach in the past year.

A Bitdefender cybersecurity assessment shows that where possible, data breaches are covered up by the authorities. The survey was conducted among 400 IT professionals in the US, UK and Europe in companies with more than 1000 employees.

To step in an open door, everyone (99%) is concerned about the evolving threat landscape. Vulnerabilities and zero days are the top threats, followed by supply chain attacks, ransomware, and social engineering.

More than half (52%) of respondents say there has been a data breach in the past 12 months. If we look across Europe, it affects less than half in Germany (49%) and France (42%).

Remarkably, more than 40 percent of professionals seem to say they are not allowed to report data breaches. This action is imposed from above. The US-based professionals are particularly strong (71%). In Europe, the GDPR is strict on this, yet a data breach is covered up, particularly in France (27%) and to a lesser extent in Germany (14%).

It is important to emphasize that this is only a small sample, 400 IT professionals worldwide, but the result of this survey is alarming. Despite the current economic crisis, 70 percent of large European companies plan to invest more in cybersecurity.