Research by Vodafone Business claims that 10% of British firms could face closure as a result of cyber-attacks. According to the study a combination of poor crisis planning, weak password practices, and employee susceptibility to phishing scams are the likely sources of vulnerability. It is reported that, on average, employees use their work passwords for 12 personal accounts. Nearly 75% of business leaders believe at least one staff member would fall for a convincing phishing email. Nick Gliddon from Vodafone said: “These findings are truly alarming,” emphasising the significant risk faced by UK businesses.
iBOSS Comment:
Whilst this research will be of particular concern to larger businesses with more employees and greater turnover, it none-the-less applies also to SMEs. A warning not to be ignored! If you have ‘IT conversant’ staff then ensure they monitor internal systems security and change passwords on a regular basis. If not then we strongly recommend using a reliable outside agency on a regular basis. If in doubt as to who to speak to, give us a call at iBOSS on 07876 503830 or e-mail phil@theiboss.co.uk .