Cyber Security Skills Gap Leaves SMEs Vulnerable

With the digital landscape constantly evolving and new cyber security threats appearing daily, it’s never been more critical for organisations to focus on their online security.

However, a new report from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has found that almost half of UK businesses lack basic cyber security skills, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

The report found that the employees responsible for cyber security in 48% of UK SMEs were not confident enough to carry out basic online security tasks and were also not receiving support from external cyber security experts.

This lack of confidence and absence of expert oversight means that almost half of UK businesses are exposed to a cyber security threat and likely do not have the resources to resolve it.

Small Businesses Are Still At Risk Of Cyber Security Threats

Many SMEs believe that they are too small for cyber criminals to target when in reality, almost half of UK businesses suffered a data breach or online attack in 2019/2020.

Most cyber criminals are looking for these businesses that do not have cyber security measures in place, as it makes for a quick payday — if the attack succeeds, they are more likely to target the same type of companies again.

SMEs are commonly seen as easy victims of cyber crime because they are less likely to have robust cyber security protection. They are usually targeted for the information that they store on customers, suppliers, credit card numbers, and bank details that the hackers will either use themselves or sell on the dark web for a profit.

The report found that the most common cyber security skills gaps in SMEs are:

– Configuring firewalls

– Patching

– Personal data storage or transfer

– Monitoring and removing malware

With credit card, identity and cyber fraud costing the UK up to £190bn a year, the country is reaching epidemic levels of fraud. Until SMEs in the UK plug the cyber security skills gap and protect themselves, online attacks and cyber threats will continue.

How To Start Improving Cyber Security As An SME

It can seem daunting to start tackling cyber security as an SME, but the costs of a data breach far exceed the investment needed to protect your organisation.

Companies should start to upskill the staff responsible for their cyber security, so they can be confident that their organisation is protected against potential cyber security threats.

For more information on how to protect your SME from cyber security vulnerabilities, take a look at our post on how to reinforce your SME against threats, or read all our latest cyber security news here.