Firms detect breaches sooner, but attackers have gotten nastier

Firms are detecting breaches nearly 30 percent sooner than before, according to a new report from Mandiant, but attackers are also getting more aggressive in their methods by demanding millions for not releasing data, or erasing all systems around them as they go.

Last year, it took an average of 146 days for a company to discover a breach, down from 205 in 2014 — and 416 in 2011.

This is based on enterprise customers who turn to Mandiant, a FireEye company, to investigate breaches after they have occurred.

“Certainly if an organization detects a breach on their own, and they shut it down in a matter of days, it would not be reported in our statistics,” said Charles Carmakal, a vice president with Mandiant Consulting.

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