A new study from CSID shows that despite awareness of a growing threat to cyber security, small businesses seem to be stuck when it comes to taking actions that would keep them safe. Some of the results were shared today in promotion of the company’s upcoming webinar on the topic of how security changes as businesses grow.
The survey was conducted on businesses with a staff of less than 100 employees and focused on what threats the companies were most concerned about and what actions they were taking. Results showed what CSID calls a disconnect between awareness and action. Businesses fear cybercrime and fraud, but simply aren’t taking steps to prevent it.
Notably, the survey found that 63 percent of the surveyed businesses worry about undetected malware, 41 percent concerned about human error resulting in security breaches and 38 percent about phishing attacks. The disconnect is highlighted with just under a third of respondents reporting that they aren’t doing anything to protect themselves against these threats.
Bryan Hjelm, CSID’s vice president of product and marketing comments on the results: “Small businesses are in a tough position when it comes to cyber security. They face a growing number of threats and attention by cyber criminals and don’t have the time or resources that larger enterprises have to devote to cyber security. It is going to be increasingly important for small businesses to be aware of the threats they face and learn how to address them effectively with limited resources.”
This disconnect between awareness and action is unfortunate, as cybercrime targeting small businesses is on the rise.
Regular Mobile ID World readers will surely find these survey results sadly familiar in message. The ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has thrown businesses of all sizes for a loop, heralding the emergence of Bring Your Own Device culture in the workplace.
Late last year we shared survey results illustrating that this is not just a small business problem. Bad mobility habits are affecting federal agencies too, while the biggest problem in American cyber security seems to be password fatigue.
This newest survey shows that education on strong authentication technology is something that simply needs to become more accessible. If a lack of action is what is keeping small businesses vulnerable, maybe all they need to know is exactly how convenient strong authentication is.
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