Two in five UK businesses (39 percent) report having cyber security breaches or attacks in the last 12 months, according to new figures from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021 report also shows that the cyber risk to organizations has been heightened because of the pandemic, which has made securing digital environments more challenging as organizational resources are diverted to facilitating home working for staff.
The report shows that cyber resilience in UK companies seems to have reduced, with fewer businesses using security monitoring tools to identify abnormal activity which could indicate a breach. This figure has dropped five percent since the previous year to one in three firms (35 percent). Additionally, only 83 percent of businesses have up-to-date anti-virus software: also down five percent from the previous year.
The report also says that nearly half of businesses (47 percent) have staff using personal devices for work, but only 18 percent have a cyber security policy on how to use those personal devices at work. Less than a quarter of businesses (23 percent) have a cyber security policy covering home working.
Other key findings include:
- The most common breaches or attacks were phishing emails, followed by instances of others impersonating their organization online, and viruses or other malware including ransomware.
- Where a breach resulted in a loss of data or assets, the average cost of a cyber attack on a business is £8,460. This figure rises to £13,400 for medium and large businesses.
- More than three quarters (77 percent) of businesses say cyber security is a high priority.