More Cyber Attacks Hit Mid-Sized Businesses
0Overall Score

Security company McAfee has revealed that 41 percent of Australian businesses have suffered an IT security incident or hacker attack.According to the McAfee report called The Security Paradox, more than 40 percent of companies surveyed have had data breaches. In addition, 33 percent of Australian businesses surveyed fell victim to a data breach last year. 85 percent of businesses believe that there is some chance of a serious data breach putting them out of business.

Despite the rise in data breaches, McAfee has reported that more than 20 percent of Australian businesses have decreased their security budgets in the last year, whilst 53 percent have maintained flat budgets.

The report also said that 42 percent of the Australian companies surveyed do not have a full-time dedicated IT security specialist and every hour of network downtime costs an average of AUD $663, with the average security incident costing them AUD $221 per computer.

McAfee’s Sales Engineering Manager for ANZ, Sean Duca said, “Businesses today are faced with the challenge of continuing to utilise new devices and technology to grow their business yet have to protect corporate assets and information with limited budgets. Our research reveals that the majority of respondent’s still lump IT security and general IT budgets together. Given the rise in security attacks, it’s time information security receives its own budgetary attention”.