The UK government is encouraging businesses and charities to strengthen their cyber security, in the light of the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 report commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Based on a survey conducted by Ipsos MORI between October 2021 and January this year, the report shows that 39% of businesses and 30% of charities experienced cyber attacks or cyber security breaches in the last 12 months.
While these numbers are in line with 2021 levels, the frequency of attacks is increasing. Of those suffering attacks, 31% of businesses and a quarter of charities “said they now experience breaches or attacks at least once a week.”
“It is vital that every organisation take cyber security seriously as more and more business is done online and we live in a time of increasing cyber risk.
No matter how big or small your organisation is, you need to take steps to improve digital resilience now…”
Cyber Minister Julia Lopez
The report was ordered as part of the government’s National Cyber Strategy, which aims to protect the UK from cyber threats “by investing in cyber skills, expanding the country’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, and prioritising cyber security in the workplace, boardrooms and digital supply chains.”
Other figures from the survey are more positive, with 82% of senior managers in UK businesses listing the priority level of cyber security as ‘very high’ or ‘fairly high’, compared to 77% in the 2021 survey. This represents “the highest figure seen in any year of the cyber security breaches survey.”
DCMS point out that this increase may be due to the recent “wave of high-profile attacks” and the “increased attention on the cyber security of supply chains and digital services.”
The department is directing organisations to various resources for help, including:
One area that deserves particular attention is supply chain threat management. According to the report, just “13% of businesses reviewed the risks posed by immediate suppliers.”
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