Cyber-crime accepted as 'a cost of business'
By Joe Elvin
05/07/2011
Business owners are increasingly accepting cybercrime as something they have to live with.
A poll conducted by Osterman research has revealed that half of respondents accepted that security breachers were 'a cost of their business.'
Furthermore, 91 per cent of business owners believe that cybercrime has either increased or stayed the same over the last 12 months.
The results highlight the importance of investing in systems management software to protect sensitive data from hackers or malware.
Speaking to todayonline.com, Osterman Research president Michael Osterman urged companies not to be complacent when defending potential breaches of their data.
He said: "What's surprising is the degree of complacency these companies exhibit in light of the increase and complexity of the recent cyber attacks - even among those tasked with caring for data, which can include customer information and intellectual property.
"The pervasiveness of malware demonstrated in this study indicates a real need for businesses to educate themselves on the latest threats in order to protect against serious security breaches."
SC Magazine report that respondents claimed to suffer an average of five cyber-attacks a year, or one every 73 days. Seven out of ten business owners claimed to have suffered some sort of financial loss due to the actions of cyber-criminals.
