Almost half of small and micro businesses in the UK have been victims of cyber crime according to a new survey. But the results also show that many firms are still failing to take the necessary action to protect themselves.
A new poll of UK businesses with up to 49 employees by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has found that 42% have been affected by cyber crime.
Of these, 23% have suffered virus infection to their business computers; 22% had been victims of phishing (where sensitive information is fraudulently obtained); and 12% had been victims of card fraud.
Despite these worringly high figures, however, the research has found that a significant number of small firms are still not doing enough to protect their business.
In fact, 14% of those polled said that they were not using any methods at all to protect their business from cyber crime. The research also revealed that:
- 31% are not using regular updates of anti-virus software;
- 34% of firms are not using firewall protection;
- Only 38% said they changed their business passwords regularly;
- Just 30% said they regularly installed security patches, to keep security software up to date for the latest threats.
The research also highlighted some gender and age divides when it comes to cyber security. Male business owners spend more on average on cyber protection (£268) than female (£206) owners and more women (18%) said they didn't use any methods to guard against cyber crime than men (10%).
In addition, business owners over 55 years of age were more likely to say they wrote their passwords down and kept them in a safe place instead of memorising them.
Mark Farrar, AAT chief executive, said: "Keeping online information secure is vital. A security breach could put you out of action and cost you money, which can be fatal for smaller businesses that have very little time and money to spare. Businesses should always protect every aspect of their online profile."