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By Mel Duvall
Small and midsized businesses are beginning to take action against online threats, as they are increasingly falling victim to cyber-attacks, according to a new report from security vendor Symantec.
In a survey released this week, Symantec found that 42 percent of small and midsized businesses (SMBs) say they have lost confidential or proprietary information in cyber-attacks, and 74 percent say they are at least somewhat concerned about losing electronic data. Of those who have lost information, 100 percent say it resulted in direct losses, such as lost revenue or costs.
"Small and midsized organizations are facing increased risks to their confidential information -- including bank account numbers, credit card information and customer and employee records," Symantec senior director Bernard Laroche said. "A year ago, a Symantec survey found one-third of SMBs did not have the most basic protect of all -- antivirus protection. It is exciting to see that SMBs acknowledge the risks they face and are taking action to protect their information more completely."
The survey was based on responses from 2,152 decision-makers at SMBs (with 10 to 499 employees) in 28 countries and was conducted in May. It found that with heightened awareness of security risks, SMBs are now spending an average of $51,000 a year on security measures. But while 87 percent of SMBs said they have a disaster preparedness plan, only 23 percent rated their plans as good or excellent.
Other key findings:
- One of the key security issues plaguing SMBs is lost devices, such as laptops and smartphones. Almost two-thirds of SMBs say they have lost devices such as iPhones and iPads in the past 12 months. One-hundred percent have at least some devices with no password protection and cannot be wiped clean with the use of remote protection systems.
- Seventy-three percent of SMBs say they were victims of cyber-attacks in the past year. As much as 30 percent of those attacks were deemed somewhat or extremely successful. The attacks resulted in direct costs, such as downtime, loss of important corporate data, as well as the loss of sensitive information related to customers or employees. In addition to direct costs, SMBs were very concerned about the loss of customer trust.
Symantec said that in addition to implementing security technologies to counter cyber-attacks, it is critical that SMBs develop Internet security guidelines and take continuous action to educate employees about Internet safety, security and threats.
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