[attrition] Errata: Statistics 2.0

[security curmudgeon]

After way too long, the Errata Statistics section has finally been 
overhauled and will be maintained from here on out.

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http://attrition.org/errata/stats.html

They say that 83% of all statistics are lies. Think about that for a 
second.

One of the largest things media outlets use to back their claims are 
statistics. It is absolutely incredible how many times a media outlet will 
quote a statistic and not credit where it came from. Further, they are 
fond of taking creative liberty with how they quote the article to suit 
their needs.

These stats cover damage to system, percentage of intrusions, and 
everything else. There are simply too many instances of suspect statistics 
as they relate to the computer security industry to read, match and 
provide analysis of them all. Most of the statistics here are simply 
referenced and left to the keen reader to draw their own conclusions. 
Analysis is provided for articles and reports that are widely quoted or 
otherwise interesting. Use the feedback link at the bottom of the page if 
you wish to recomend an article or report for analysis, please include why 
you feel this article is important.

So.. read the following stats. Look carefully at what each claims. I think 
it is only a matter of minutes before you start to see wildly varying 
stats that conflict with each other. Remember this when you read future 
articles!

[..]