Cybersecurity and data breaches
145 of 521 companies dropped a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
cybersecurity, cyber, ransomware, data breach, cyberattack, hackers.
The paragraph was in the earlier 10-K and nothing like it is in the latest.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 2 | 2 |
| Air Courier Services | 1 | 1 |
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Electrical Industrial Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Connectors | 1 | 1 |
| Food and Kindred Products | 1 | 1 |
| Gas & Other Services Combined | 1 | 1 |
| Household Appliances | 1 | 1 |
| In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances | 1 | 1 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products | 1 | 1 |
| Newspapers: Publishing or Publishing & Printing | 1 | 1 |
| Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) | 1 | 1 |
| Paper Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Management Services | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations | 1 | 1 |
| Water Supply | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts | 1 | 1 |
| Computer Storage Devices | 4 | 5 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 3 | 4 |
| Finance Services | 19 | 28 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 2 | 3 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 6 | 10 |
| Beverages | 3 | 5 |
| State Commercial Banks | 3 | 6 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 2 | 4 |
| Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys | 2 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 2 | 4 |
| Accident & Health Insurance | 1 | 2 |
| Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts | 1 | 2 |
| Cigarettes | 1 | 2 |
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware | 1 | 2 |
| Fats & Oils | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Mining & Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) | 1 | 2 |
| Oil & Gas Field Services, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Refuse Systems | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Family Clothing Stores | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products | 1 | 2 |
| National Commercial Banks | 5 | 11 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 8 | 19 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 2 | 5 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 2 | 5 |
| Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. | 2 | 5 |
| Investment Advice | 3 | 8 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Electrical Work | 1 | 3 |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, NEC | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 1 | 3 |
| Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas | 2 | 7 |
| Electric Services | 4 | 15 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 4 | 15 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 4 | 16 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 3 | 12 |
| Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation | 1 | 4 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 6 | 27 |
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, and Control | 1 | 5 |
| Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 1 | 5 |
| Electric & Other Services Combined | 2 | 12 |
| Petroleum Refining | 1 | 6 |
| Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies | 1 | 7 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 1 | 11 |
376 paragraphs · Electronic Connectors show all sectors
In addition, global remote working dynamics continue to present additional risk that threat actors will engage in social engineering (for example, phishing) and exploit vulnerabilities in corporate and non-corporate networks. Ransomware attacks have become easier to execute, and with the rise of ransomware as a service, it has become an increasingly popular business model to lease or sell ransomware variants to anyone willing to pay the fee.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 7, 2025 ↗
The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is increasingly demanding, with frequent imposition of new and changing requirements. Privacy laws and regulations around the world including, for example, in the European Union (“EU”), People’s Republic of China, the state of California, and several other U.S. states, impose significant obligations for companies on how they collect, store, protect, process and transfer personal information and can impose significant fines for non-compliance. The potential for fines, penalties and other related costs in the event of a breach of or non-compliance with any existing and forthcoming information security or privacy laws and requirements may have an adverse effect on our financial results. For further discussion of the Company’s risk management, strategy, and governance around cybersecurity, refer to Part I, Item 1C. Cybersecurity herein.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 7, 2025 ↗