cyber security of most small business is woefully inadequate
The Government has today launched a new Do More Online campaign aiming to help small businesses to increase their digital skills.
Commenting, Hugh Boyes from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) said:
“Whilst it is great that the Government is encouraging small businesses to do more online, the cyber security of most small business is woefully inadequate as they do not have the time, experience or resources to develop the knowledge and skills to protect their presence online.
“A recent Trustwave report on Application Security (i.e. online applications) revealed that 96 per cent had major security defects. For SMEs to safely and securely operate online they will need support and assistance to ensure that their web presence is secure.
“They are very unlikely to achieve this with the budget web offerings currently available from most ISPs. We recognise that the Government has launched the Cyber Essentials scheme, but this focusses on the personal IT equipment used by SMEs and small traders. It does not address the security of ISP-hosted or cloud websites, where website configuration and security are increasingly complex and either poorly addressed or not addressed at all in the budget packages typically used by SMEs.”
