Most Irish SMEs hit by cyber-attack last year

In the last 12 months, 95% of small and medium sized businesses experienced a cyber-attack in the past year, according to findings of a new survey.

The most common cyber-attacks were phishing, followed by ransomware and malware.

Of the 200 Irish business owners surveyed, over 70% said they increased their cyber security budgets last year.

Due to the growth, and need to manage remote working, this was the main reason behind increasing cyber-security budgets, as well as growing concern about cyber-attacks and a lack of visibility of devices being used for work purposes.

Only 60% of the business owners surveyed said they had a strong understanding of cyber security threats.

Sync IT – What do the experts think?

At Sync IT, we have seen it on many occasions that businesses don’t have the correct protective measures in place to guard against potential cyber attacks. A lot of business owners think if they have anti-virus or backups installed that they are protected, however, this is not the case.

All pieces of software that are put in place, has to be managed and monitored on a 24/7 basis. As Sync IT are a “Managed Services Provider” in the North-East region of Ireland, this is the type of work that we specialise in.

Businesses also have to become aware that the older their device is, the more open it could be to a potential cyber-attack. Why is this? The older the device is, means it may not be equipped to run certain software applications that are in place to protect these devices. Sync IT recommend changing your device/server after 5 years at the latest to ensure that it can run to the best possible standard which helps your business from a security and stability standpoint.

Every Friday we will be posting more blog pieces on some issues businesses face in the cyber security sector, as educating the North-East of Ireland on these topics is what we aim to do here.

Sync IT are an ICT & Cyber Security Provider, located in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. If you would like to book a free consultation with us, or would like to request a call-back please visit our contact page and fill out the form provided.