- Only one in three workers are confident in spotting cyber threats
- Many have experienced scams, fraud, phishing and deepfakes
- Workers aren’t getting the training they need to stay safe
Following the release of new information from Ofcom surrounding artificial intelligence and deepfakes, new research from Shark UK has revealed how this could be putting Britain’s small and medium businesses at increased risk of cyber threats.
The study found 86% of workers in UK SMBs are increasingly concerned about cyber breaches, but only a third say they’re confident in spotting such threats.
Sharp also found some workers believe their company does not take cybersecurity seriously enough.
AI and deepfakes are escalating cyberthreats
Nearly two in three (63%) workers believe they would be unable to spot a cybersecurity issue, despite increased concern compared with last year. Almost one-third are more worried this year than last that making a mistake at work could make them vulnerable to an attack.
The prevalence of cybersecurity attacks, aided by artificial intelligence which has made writing malicious code more accessible to lower-skilled attackers, has seen a rise in attacks on both businesses and individuals.
The Ofcom data reveals that one in three (34%) internet users have experienced scams, fraud and phishing, whereas even more (43%) have experienced a deepfake in the first half of 2024 alone.
Sharp UK Chief Operating Officer Mark Williams explained nine in 10 data breaches start with a phishing attack; he described workers as the “first line of defence.”
The company found that cybersecurity training from employers over the past two years has been minimal, with more than two in five (43%) workers not receiving any cybersecurity training in the past year.
Williams added: “It is the responsibility of SME leaders to implement a robust cybersecurity training programme which is provided and updated regularly. In doing so, they can maintain a high standard of security awareness across their workforce that can be regularly adapted according to needs.”
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