Cyber attacks are on the rise

Around a third of businesses and two in10 charities reported having cyber security breaches or attacks in the last 12 months, according to the government’s cyber security breaches survey in July. As in previous years, this is much higher among medium and large businesses, and higher-income charities.

The most common are phishing attacks, others impersonating an organisation in emails or online, viruses, spyware or malware, including ransomware attacks.

But perhaps businesses are finally recognising that they need to be more cyber secure. According to the same survey, the number of businesses and charities identifying breaches or attacks is down from the previous year.

The government says that one plausible explanation is businesses are more cyber aware. The survey shows that businesses have increased their planning and defences against cyber-attacks.

Another possibility is a change in attacker behaviour, with more attacks being focused on a narrower (though still numerous) range of businesses.

Alternatively, says the report, the trend may in part be explained following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May last year. GDPR might have changed what businesses consider to be a breach, or led to some businesses becoming less willing to admit to having cyber security breaches.