According to a recent analysis by Jamf, the specialist in managing and securing Apple for work, a large number of organisations and individuals are ill-equipped to deal with sophisticated cyber threats. The annual Security 360 report shows that a whopping 40% of mobile users and 39% of organisations are currently operating devices with known vulnerabilities.

The report is based on data retrieved from a sample of 15 million desktop computers, tablets, and smartphone devices that Jamf protects across 90 countries and on various platforms. It focuses on real-world customer data, cutting-edge threat research, and noteworthy industry events. It gives a comprehensive overview of the evolving cyber threat landscape affecting modern workplaces.

The data was collected in the fourth quarter of 2023 and looked at the preceding 12 months. The analysis revealed a general lack of cyber hygiene amongst organisations, with threat actors poised to strike with the most sophisticated attacks seen so far.

Besides the number of users running devices with known vulnerabilities, the data also showed that 17% of all Mac malware instances are trojans, indicating an increase in their popularity among cyber criminals. Phishing attempts were 50% more successful on mobile devices than on Macs, and 20% of organisations have been impacted by malicious network traffic.

The study divided the cyber threats into four categories: device risks; application risks; malware risks and attack evolution; and web-based risks. In an effort to equip users and organisations to mitigate the severity of these threats, Jamf also provided advice on remediation techniques. These recommendations revolved around the importance of basic cyber hygiene.

“The data in our report shows that Mac and mobile fleets have fared reasonably well over the past 12-months. However, this is largely due to sheer luck,” said Michael Covington, VP of Portfolio Strategy at Jamf. He added that, given the diversity and sophistication of threats, the year ahead could spell trouble for businesses if they fail to improve their "poor security hygiene" and adopt "industry best practices" to protect against them.

The findings throw light on the need for organisations to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses in the face of increasingly complex cyber attacks. There is an urgent calling for organisations to focus on the 'basics', something which poses a great challenge in the modern threat landscape as highlighted by Jamf’s extensive research.

Jamf states the company's purpose is to simplify work by helping organisations manage and secure an Apple experience that 'end users love and organisations trust'. Jamf states it's the only company in the world that provides a complete management and security solution for an Apple-first environment that is enterprise secure, consumer simple and protects personal privacy.