One in three businesses faced cyber attacks last year, report says

Figures collected for the Government by polling company Ipsos show a similar proportion of larger and medium-sized companies and high-income charities faced attacks or breaches last year as in 2021.

However, there has been a fall in the proportion of smaller businesses who say they have identified cyber breaches or attacks.

This is perhaps because smaller businesses have been preoccupied by the worsening economic climate and have placed less focus on their cybersecurity, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.

Overall, 32% of businesses said they had been subject to attacks or breaches over a 12-month period, with 24% of charities saying the same. This is down from 39% and 30% respectively in 2021.

However, these levels were much higher among medium-sized businesses (59%), large businesses (69%) and charities which earn more than £500,000 a year (56%).