According to research: SMEs are falling behind in cyber security

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This is the result of a survey conducted by the market and social research institute gfs. Main finding: Swiss SMEs still give low priority to cybersecurity. A long-term comparison shows that protective measures are implemented with hesitation. “So there is very little progress in combating cybercrime,” Simon Seebeck, head of the Mobiliar Cyber ​​Risk Competence Centre, said at a media conference on Tuesday.

A survey was conducted to a total of 502 SME managers about the effects of digitalization and cyber security. This is on behalf of digitalswitzerland, the insurance company Mobiliar, the Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences FHNW, the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences SATW and the Swiss Digital Security Alliance.

There are certainly companies that describe themselves as “digital pioneers” and are above average in the technical and organizational implementation of security measures in the IT sector. However, the number of such companies is gradually decreasing.

Especially in recent years, approximately one-fifth of the SMEs that participated in the survey see themselves as “pioneers”. In this year’s survey, this rate was only around one in ten.

“In general, it is not just about the technical implementation of security measures,” Seebeck continued. Especially since this is often outsourced to external IT service providers. Above all, organizational measures such as raising employee awareness or data backup should be taken seriously and addressed accordingly.

But when asked about actual incidents, only 11 percent of SME executives said they had already fallen victim to cybercriminals. Again, most of those attacked suffered material damage.

In general, SMBs are likely to be less affected by cyber attacks than larger companies. According to a survey published about two weeks ago by consulting firm Deloitte, 45 percent of companies with more than 250 employees have been the victim of an attack at least once. Among SMEs surveyed, the number of companies experiencing a “serious attack” is much lower (18 percent). (SDA)

Source :Blick