Persistent myths about cyber threats may very well be holding again small companies

Enduring myths about their cyber exposures may very well be holding again small companies from getting the safety they want, a current survey by Vacationers revealed.

In its 2024 Vacationers Danger Index, cyber threats had been named the highest concern amongst companies of all sizes.

Hart Analysis, which carried out the nationwide on-line survey on behalf of the insurer, polled 1,202 US enterprise decision-makers. This yr marked the fourth time in six years that cyber threats have ranked as the first concern, with a file 62% of members expressing important fear about them.

The analysis additionally revealed a troubling statistic: practically half (48%) of smaller companies don’t suppose they’ll be a sufferer of a cyberattack as a result of they aren’t huge or complicated sufficient.

Tim Francis, enterprise cyber lead at Vacationers, highlighted the misunderstanding in a current webinar presenting their findings. “(Our information) does present that, oftentimes, the menace actors are merely going after the low-hanging fruit,” he stated.

Cyber dangers rising for all companies no matter dimension

Francis defined that cybercriminals usually goal community vulnerabilities reasonably than particular firms, that means that companies with unaddressed weaknesses are vulnerable to being attacked repeatedly.

“They use scanning expertise to search out vulnerabilities, deploy malware or social engineering ways, and generally don’t even know who the sufferer is till they’re contained in the community,” he stated.

“As soon as inside, they’ll take cash from a small, medium, or giant firm – dimension doesn’t matter. When you’ve been attacked and haven’t taken steps to stop one other one, it is best to count on to get hit once more.”

Vacationers discovered a slight rise in reported cyber incidents on this yr’s survey, with 24% of respondents saying their firm skilled a cyber occasion, in comparison with 23% in 2023. Greater than half of these incidents occurred inside the final yr and greater than 80% inside the final two years.

Francis famous the information displays the rising sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks. “Menace actors which can be committing these acts aren’t more likely to cease anytime quickly,” he stated.

Companies named their prime cyber-related considerations as follows:

• Safety breach and unauthorized entry to monetary accounts or management methods (57% every, tied for first)
• Ransomware (54%), which noticed the biggest improve, rising from the ninth concern in 2023
• Staff placing info or methods in danger via unsafe computing practices (53%)
• System glitches (53%)

Cyber insurance coverage “greater than a monetary assure”

Amid rising challenges in cybersecurity, notably with the appearance of synthetic intelligence (AI)-driven cyberattacks, brokers have a powerful alternative to assist small companies get the correct safety via an insurance coverage coverage.

Based on the Vacationers Danger Index, 65% of all respondents reported having a cyber coverage, up from 60% final yr and considerably larger than in 2018, when solely 39% had protection.

Nevertheless, amongst small companies (outlined as having 1 to 49 staff), solely 41% reported having a cyber coverage, in comparison with 77% and 78% of mid-sized and huge firms respectively.

Francis emphasised the significance of cyber insurance coverage as not only a monetary security web but additionally a essential useful resource for companies to entry experience throughout a cyber occasion. Small companies are particularly susceptible as a result of they usually lack the assets and information vital to guard themselves.

“A cyber insurance coverage coverage is extra than simply phrases on a web page and a monetary assure – it’s an ecosystem of claims professionals,” stated Francis. “When a cyber occasion occurs, the insurer usually acts as the primary responder, bringing in breach coaches and incident response distributors.

“If extra companies understood the magnitude of the occasions and the extent of experience they’d have entry to, I imagine we’d see the next adoption price. I count on it to rise over time, but it surely actually needs to be larger already.”

What do you consider the findings on this yr’s Vacationers Danger Index and the cyber dangers that small companies face? Please share your feedback under.