More than 90 per cent of Irish businesses believe they are adequately protected against cyberattacks, even though almost six in 10 do not regularly update their software, according to research by insurance broker Gallagher.
The company commissioned a survey of 300 businesses across Ireland and Britain, 100 of which are based in Ireland, to assess what critical cybersecurity tools organisations are using to protect themselves.
The group said the data highlighted a “disconnect between perception and reality” on the part of Irish businesses.
More than half fail to run regular automated data backups, indicating a “worrying lack of protection against cyber criminals”.
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Furthermore, just four in 10 Irish organisations reported having provided cybersecurity training to their staff, described as “one of the most effective methods of preventing cyber incidents”.
“Our research suggests that there is a mismatch between how well protected businesses in Ireland believe they are against cyberattacks and the steps they have taken to manage such threats,” said Laura Vickers of Gallagher in Ireland.
“Regularly updating software is a very basic step but it is crucial for cybersecurity, as updates often include security patches that address vulnerabilities and this in turn could potentially prevent cyberattacks and data breaches.
“Automatic data backup is another crucial cybersecurity measure, as it helps protect against data loss from various incidents such as ransomware attacks, hardware failures and accidental deletions.”
The research found that almost two-thirds of Irish businesses believe they are “very protected” against a cyberattack, while a further 28 per cent said they are “quite protected”.
At 92 per cent, the number of Irish businesses that feel adequately protected against cyberattacks is slightly higher than in Britain, where 89 per cent of firms indicated this to be the case.
Four in 10 Irish businesses have suffered at least one cyberattack in the last five years, and of those businesses, 88 per cent suffered a financial loss and commercial disruption.
“It is important that Irish businesses are not complacent about the threats out there and that they don’t overestimate their cyber resilience or underestimate the potential impact of a cyberattack,” Ms Vickers said.
