Are Small Business Prepared For The Hacking War Against UK Now Underway

23rd November 2024

No, businesses are not prepared to be hacked, and the risk of cyberattacks is increasing.

Small businesses
Only 14% of small businesses are prepared for cyber attacks. Many small businesses don't have a cybersecurity plan, and around 33% use free cybersecurity.

UK businesses
70% of UK business leaders expect their organizations to be hit by a cyberattack within the next year, but only 35% believe they are adequately prepared.

Data breach detection
It takes an average of 277 days for businesses to identify and report a data breach.

Cyberattacks against small businesses are on the rise because they are often seen as easier targets than larger enterprises.

Cybercriminals assume that small businesses have weaker security measures.

To help protect your business, you can:
Implement two-factor authentication (2FA)

Use your company email domain for all business accounts

Conduct regular vulnerability scans and pentests

Use strong anti-malware programs and maintain firewalls

Secure code and regularly review code

Store an offline copy of important data in a physical safe not connected to the internet and update it as often as you can.

Small business owners need to grasp the consequences of a cybersecurity data breach to properly assess risk. Small businesses often mistakenly believe that they're too small to be a target and don't prepare. That lack of preparation creates vulnerabilities for criminals to exploit.

The cost to fix problems could be large. So do something now.

Public bodies are also experiencing increasing hacker attacks.