• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • COVID-19 Update
  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Downloads
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Network Security

Does Size Matter? Smaller Organizations Need to Protect Against Cyber Attacks, Too

Symantec survey suggests many smaller organizations understand the risks associated with cyber-attacks, but also believe they are too small to be vulnerable.

March 22, 2012 TD Staff 1 Comment

A new study from Symantec Corp. suggests many small and mid-sized organizations simply think they’re too small to be a target for hackers.

The global survey by the Mountain View, Calif.-based security provider was of executives and IT managers at 1,900 businesses with between 5 and 499 employees. More than half of respondents claim to be familiar with security threats posed by DDoS attacks, shortened URLs, using smartphones for company business, keystroke logging, and targeted attacks.

Smaller organizations are “much more aware than I had expected in terms of security threats and the consequences of them,” says Kevin Haley, a director with Symantec Security Response.“But the contradiction is knowing all that, they’re not doing anything to protect themselves”

Only 13 percent of respondents say they feel completely protected against computer threats while 45 percent feel somewhat protected. That leaves 42 percent providing responses of neutral, somewhat unprotected, or completely unprotected.

And yet, the companies feel safe from attack. On a 1-to-5 scale, where 3 is a noncommittal answer, the average response for feeling at risk from keystroke logging was 2.45. For a DDoS attack, it was 2.66, and for website vulnerabilities, 2.77. For using smartphones for company business and targeted attacks, the score was 3.22.

“We get answers like, ‘We’re a small company and this isn’t targeted at small companies,’” Haley says. “That’s where I start to draw the conclusion that it’s something that [they think] happens to big companies, not to [their] business.”

If you think your organization is too small to be noticed, here’s another figure from Symantec that might be handy. In 2010 research on targeted attacks, the company found that 40 percent of all such attacks are aimed at SMBs. “They’re a very tempting target,” Haley says.

Tagged With: Antivirus, Corporate, Data Backup & Recovery, Data Security, Malware Protection

Related Content:

  • Biden IT Funding President Biden Wants To Invest $10B in U.S.…
  • Symantec SolarWinds Symantec Discovers Fourth Malware Strain Used in SolarWinds…
  • ROI of Cybersecurity The ROI of Cybersecurity
  • Supply Chain Compromises How IT Leaders Can Protect Against Supply Chain…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Top 9 Reasons Enterprise IT Leaders Are Moving Their Video Surveillance to the Eagle Eye Cloud

    Working in IT has enough challenges without adding in the complications of surveillance video. Things like total cost of maintenance, how the VMA manages bandwidth, what cameras are supported, what level of cybersecurity is provided, and what integrations are available to use are important factors IT managers have to think about when assessing a video […]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarMajor says

    October 30, 2018 at 10:09 am

    You’ve mazde some good points there. I checked on the web to find out more about the issue and found most
    people wipl go along wth your views on this website.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the FREE Tech Decisions eNewsletter

Sign up Today!

Latest Downloads

Top 9 Reasons Enterprise IT Leaders Are Moving Their Video Surveillance to the Eagle Eye Cloud

Working in IT has enough challenges without adding in the complications of surveillance video. Things like total cost of maintenance, how the VMA m...

Using Live Chats and Chatbots to Increase Customer Engagement

There's a lot to consider when building out a chatbot experience to ensure that it delivers a seamless experience and meet your business goals.

Finding a New Balance

The shift to a hybrid work environment is a trend that has increased in popularity over many years. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred this trend, f...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!
Sharp Microsoft Collaboration HQ Logo

Learn More About the
Windows Collaboration Display

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Media Solutions & Advertising
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!

© 2021 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.