LONDON—More than four in 10 U.K. businesses have suffered a cyberattack over the last year, according to government research.
In a new paper published, the government claimed that 43% of all U.K. businesses have been hit by a breach in the last 12 months, with the figure rising to more than two thirds for large businesses.
Fraudulent emails have been the most common method of cyberattack over the last 12 months, the report claimed, followed by instances of hackers posing as a company's employees, Channel Web reported.
"Cyberattacks can inflict serious commercial damage and reputational harm, but most campaigns are not highly sophisticated,” said Ciaran Martin, CEO of the government's National Cyber Security Centre, in the Channel Web report. "Companies can significantly reduce their chances of falling victim by following simple cybersecurity steps to remove basic weaknesses.”
According to the research, the average cost of a cyberattack for large businesses was £9,260, with some outbreaks costing "significantly more."
It also claimed that a "huge proportion" of organizations are failing to address basic cybersecurity measures, including updating their software and anti-malware products.
The government called on organizations to take cybersecurity more seriously, particularly with the General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR) impending enforcement date, Channel Web said.