One in seven language service providers is affected by cybersecurity incidents

A major IT outage on July 19, 2024, highlighted the cybersecurity measures global companies are taking to protect against cyber incidents.

The outage was not the result of a cyberattack. Rather, it was due to a routine software update from a major U.S. cybersecurity company that conflicted with Microsoft operating systems and caused widespread disruption.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly important issue in the language industry. A survey conducted by Slator in 2023 for the Association of Language Companies (ALC) found that just over half of the LSPs surveyed had implemented specific mechanisms to detect cybersecurity incidents.

The survey also found that one in seven language service providers (LSPs) had experienced a cybersecurity incident in the last twelve months.

Nearly half of survey respondents said the company conducts regular cybersecurity risk assessments.

Regarding possible future incidents, the majority of LSPs rated it “unlikely” or “very unlikely” that they would face a cybersecurity incident in the next 12 months, according to data collected in September 2023.

However, one in ten LSPs assessed the risk as “almost certain” or “more likely than unlikely”.

The 2024 ALC Survey is now open and captures the latest statistics on key topics that matter to the language industry. Click here to participate. The survey closes today, July 22, 2024.