Increase in cyberattacks is ‘stark cause for concern’, Keeper Security says
By Sunniva Kolostyak
Remote working has left businesses more vulnerable than ever to cyberattacks, with 60 per cent of UK businesses reporting attacks in the past 12 months, according to an annual Keeper Security report.

The Cybersecurity in the Remote Work Era: A Global Risk Report, published by the Ponemon Institute and commissioned by Keeper Security, found that 60 per cent of responding organisations have had a cyberattack in the past year – of which 51 per cent said they experienced credential theft and 50 per cent said it was a general malware attack.
Moreover, 44 per cent of the surveyed reported that their organisations experienced a data breach over the past 12 months, and 37 per cent said they do not have a cyber incident response plan in place.
Discussing the findings, Darren Guccione, CEO & Co-Founder of Keeper Security, said the global shift to mass remote working has caused a worrying decline in the effectiveness of organisations’ security.
“In particular, businesses are uneasy about the lack of physical security that comes with the home also being the office. The findings today indicate a stark cause for concern in the levels of organisations at risk of a data breach. The human vulnerabilities are also starting to show, as more employees view themselves as prime targets,” he told IBS Intelligence.
Guccione said the findings paint a somewhat bleak picture for the security of UK businesses – as a result of the pandemic and remote working, organisations have found that nearly a third of attacks come from compromised or stolen devices. Credential theft and general malware are the most common attacks, with the UK becoming the world’s highest malware victim.
“The time taken to respond to a cyberattack has become longer in the wake of COVID-19 and according to the findings today, more than half of UK businesses admit this time has significantly increased. In addition, cyberattacks now are having more severe consequences when it comes to the impact on finances and are generally more targeted and sophisticated.”
Overall, phishing has been the most reported attacks, averaging at 63 per cent (UK, 79 per cent; DACH, 49 per cent; Benelux, 65 per cent; and Scandinavia, 53 per cent), followed by third-party mistakes at 36 per cent and negligence from employees or contractors at 36 per cent.
The UK ranks much lower than European regions for organisations having experienced an attack that specifically leveraged COVID-19 as a threat vector, but lags in having security policies while having more attacks that compromise employees’ passwords.
Guccione added: “The overarching difference between the findings this year compared to last is the added hindrance of remote working. As a result, the number and variations of attacks has increased markedly. The UK is facing an escalation of phishing, credential theft and attacks designated to malicious insiders. With breaches being more varied in form, organisations need to keep an eye out for targeted attacks from all angles. “
So what should businesses do to protect themselves against attacks? The Keeper Security CEO said organisations, particularly across the UK, need to implement solutions that make them feel confident that their data is safe and that they are sufficiently protected from possible cyberattacks.
“Luckily there are numerous ways to achieve this. While all businesses should be regularly updating antivirus and antispyware software on every computer used in the company, it is crucial to have a strong security software in place to prevent password-related data breaches. Keeper creates random, high-strength passwords and provides all employees with a private, encrypted vault for storing all credentials and private data. Organisations cannot afford to be complacent during these uncertain times,” Guccione said.
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