Nearly three quarters of SMEs victims of a cyber attack in the last three years have suffered significant financial losses. However, more than half believe that the risk of a serious attack is low. This false sense of security could have serious consequences for businesses that do not take action quickly.
According to digitalswitzerland, the umbrella organization which brings together all cybersecurity players in Switzerland, some 24,000 companies have been victims of a cyberattack over the last three years in Switzerland. The umbrella organization notes with concern that 4 out of 10 companies do not have an emergency plan or strategy to ensure business continuity in the event of a major cyberattack.
According to the cyber study, which was conducted last summer among 526 SMEs and 401 IT service providers, 4% of providers also said they were victims of cyberattacks. But unlike SMEs, more than two thirds of IT service providers consider the risk of cyber attack to be high or very high.
>> Read also: Cyberattack would bring down seven out of ten NGOs, says report
The study further reveals that effective digital tools, such as password managers, biometrics or access keys, are only used to a limited extent in SMEs. Organizational measures, such as implementing security concepts, carrying out security audits and staff training, are met with even more resistance among Swiss SMEs.
However, most IT service providers surveyed as part of the study recommend that Swiss SMEs take the topic of security more seriously (43%) and train their staff (29%).
The same password
The cyber study also interviewed 1,247 individuals, 5% of whom said they were victims of a cyber attack. However, the majority of respondents believe they have good, or even very good, knowledge of the means to protect themselves against cyberattacks. Around half of them consider the cybersecurity of their home to be high, writes digitalswitzerland.
This perception, however, contrasts with the behavior of the majority of those questioned, underlines Ottavia Masserini, communications director at digitalswitzerland. “The majority of the population underestimates the risks,” she said on RTS 12:30 p.m. “Many people see cybercrime as a very serious threat, but few know how to protect themselves.”
More than a third of survey participants use the same password for different services and many do not regularly carry out the required updates.
>> Read also: Switzerland still vulnerable to cyberattacks
Online shopping
The gap between threat perception and reality is also evident in the area of online shopping. Around three quarters (72%) of those surveyed have little or no concern about the risk of fraud on online stores or booking platforms, while 13% of them have already paid for a product they purchased. have never received in the last five years.
The study shows that almost two thirds of respondents would like to be better informed about ways to protect themselves online, but often lack the will or skills to take concrete action.
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