A fifth of businesses have been victims of cyber attacks in the last year

Despite figures showing that one in five businesses have been victims of a cyber attack in the last year, many admit to not knowing what to do in this situation.

According to the Aviva findings, nine per cent of smaller sized businesses have experienced an attack in the last 12 months – this figure rises to 35% for larger corporations.

Of those surveyed, 20% of firms admit they’re not confident in knowing what to do in the event of an attack – this number increases to 27% for SMEs.

Stephen Ridley, Head of Cyber, Aviva, said, “It’s important to recognise that businesses of all shapes, sizes and sectors are at constant risk of a cyber attack – particularly at this time of year, with phishing emails often increasing around Black Friday and Christmas. The nature of such a threat means that cyber criminals are evolving their tactics, looking for the opportunity as opposed to setting their sights on large corporates alone.

“Though our research shows that one in three (31%) businesses see cyber as the biggest risk to their businesses, it’s worrying to see that many businesses do not know how to protect themselves from this emerging threat. Many businesses do not have cyber cover, leaving them exposed to high, unforeseen costs and significant business disruption which could amount to tens of thousands of pounds.”

Detective Superintendent Ian Kirby, CEO of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG), added, “Cybercrime is something that can impact on any organisation, whatever its size or wherever it is in the country.

“It is essential that all businesses across the UK economy therefore have robust cyber practices in place so that they are in the best position to protect themselves from cyber criminals.

“In the event of a live cyber attack, any business should immediately report it to Action Fraud who will direct them to the relevant law enforcement agency for investigation as appropriate. Importantly, however, I would also encourage small and medium-sized businesses to contact their regional, police-led Cyber Resilience Centre who will be able to offer free, high-quality support on the steps they can take to strengthen their cyber resilience for the future.

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