Mid-sized businesses lost average $43,000 in security breaches
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cybercriminals are targeting small and mid-sized businesses that lack proper network security with a range of malicious viruses and phishing attacks, but a new survey demonstrates the staggering cost.
The average mid-sized business in a survey compiled by IT security company McAfee lost $43,000 in security breaches this year, due to the cost of cleaning up after criminals who break into business computers and networks.
Cyber attacks against mid-sized companies saw a 322 percent increase from 2008 to 2009, according to McAfee, although a majority of these firms believe they are less vulnerable to attacks than larger enterprises.
The FBI recently warned that small and mid-sized companies have been scammed out of at least $40 million by cybercriminals using emails to spread Trojan malware that can steal bank account information, the Washington Post reported.
Companies face a growing threat of cyber theft and data breaches, with mid-sized firms experiencing an average of 24 security incidents in the past year, McAfee said.
Large enterprises faced on average fewer security breaches, about 15, according to the survey.
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