Cybercrime up 63%

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports show that incidents involving computer misuse and malware against business are way up.

There were 4.7 million incidents of fraud and computer misuse in the 12 months to September 2017.

The report also reveals that 56% of fraud incidents were cyber related, 23% of computer misuse incidents (410,000) involved loss of money or goods relating to computer malware and DDoS attacks, and computer misuse crime referred to the NFIB by Action Fraud increased by 63%. More specifically, this is thought to be due to a rise in levels of malware, mainly ransomware and Trojans.

Steve Walker, Managing Director of Peritus Learning said, ‘To ensure customer confidence in our businesses, which is key to long-term success, we need to do everything we can to keep data and identities safe. Meeting GDPR legislation and providing effective training for your employees on the basics around malware, ransomware, phishing and the related areas can provide a great prevention strategy for your business.’

Currently only 20% of all UK businesses provide the necessary cyber and data security training for their people on a regular basis to ensure their business remains ‘safe’ and can trade without interruption and reputational damage.

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