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Updated September 25th, 2019 at 19:10 IST

36% of small businesses have been victims of data breaches in 2019

A new Kaspersky survey finds 36 per cent of small businesses have been victims of data breaches in 2019. Cyber attacks on small businesses could be on the rise

Reported by: Tech Desk
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Cyber attacks on small businesses could be on the rise. A new survey finds 36 per cent of small businesses have been victims of data breaches in 2019. Security researchers find preventive measures taken by small companies are often inadequate, resulting in painful consequences. Back in April, Kaspersky surveyed 1,138 companies with less than 50 employees. According to survey results, the number of small businesses affected by data breaches is significantly growing year-on-year. In fact, the rate at which small businesses experience data breaches is faster than SMB and Enterprise sectors.

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Kaspersky survey

-- Share of small business experiencing data businesses was still lower (36 per cent) than SMBs (46 per cent) and enterprises (53 per cent)

-- In smaller companies, the share had climbed 6 per cent (from 30 per cent in 2018) since last year

-- In SMBs, the share had climbed 2 per cent (from 46 per cent in 2018) since last year

-- In Enterprises, the share had climbed 3 per cent (from 50 per cent in 2018) since last year

-- In 33 per cent of small companies, there was no centralized cybersecurity management

-- 25 per cent of small companies were using consumer products for protection

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“Smaller companies are often focused on how to make their business work and grow — just like they should be. They may not have cybersecurity among their top priorities, however, the cost for overlooking the problem will only grow. Why? Because malware doesn’t distinguish between its victims and because even very small organizations have something to lose, such as sensitive data,” said Andrey Dankevich, Solution Business Lead, Kaspersky.

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Researchers recommend small companies to teach their employees cybersecurity basics such as not opening or storing files from unknown emails or harmful websites. Small companies have also been advised to remind their employees how to store data only in secure, trusted cloud services.

"Make backups of essential data and regularly update IT equipment and applications to avoid unpatched vulnerabilities that can become a reason of a breach."

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Published September 25th, 2019 at 18:49 IST

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