New research from Beaming has revealed that small businesses bore the brunt of cyber attacks in the UK in 2018, costing them an estimated £13.6 billion (out of a £17 billion total).
63% of small businesses reported being a victim of cyber crime in 2018 (in 2017, this was only 47%).
Unsurprisingly, phishing claimed the most victims (25%), but ransomware attacks were the most “financially damaging”, costing an average of £21,000.
Sonia Blizzard, managing director of Beaming, said:
Criminals don’t care how big your business is, everyone is a potential victim and the cost of an attack can be devastating […] Larger businesses fall victim at the greatest rate because they have more people and more potential sources of vulnerability. However, they also tend to have multiple layers of protection in place to limit the spread of an attack and are able to recover more quickly after one.
Protect your organisation
It’s time for small businesses to take action. They typically believe that they are immune to cyber security threats, but this is the very thing that makes them a favourable target for cyber criminals. With cyber security threats becoming more sophisticated, every business needs to be more prepared.
One key action is raising employees’ awareness by educating them about the risks and how they can play their part in mitigating them. An e-learning course, which can be taken around existing workloads, can be executed quickly and with minimal hassle. They help employees better understand information security risks and develop good habits that will protect your business.
Our Information Security and Cyber Security Staff Awareness E-learning Course focuses on common staff-related cyber security incidents and teaches employees how to recognise threats and respond accordingly. It also provides them with an overview of information security weaknesses that criminals often exploit and gives them the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained, using practical activities throughout and an assessment to measure understanding.
Our Phishing Staff Awareness E-learning Course helps employees take action against fraudsters, showing them how to spot phishing scams, how to respond to them and what to do when they fall victim.
Find out more about our e-learning courses and how they can help your organisation >>
