Cybersecurity is a popular topic of discussion among IT professionals. But some businesses don't quite grasp just how much malware is out there.
A global survey of IT professionals found that most companies significantly underestimate the volume of malicious programs that appear daily. When asked, 90 percent of those surveyed said a figure lower than the right answer, 4 percent guessed too high and 6 percent were accurate. For context, there are almost 200,000 new malware viruses each day across the globe.
Respondents in the Middle East had the highest level of malware awareness with 24 percent guessing accurately. The lowest levels were in Russia at only 4 percent. Other regions including Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and North and South America ranged between 5 and 7 percent.
Of the companies surveyed, 66 percent had been attacked by cyber criminals at least once in the past year.
Most frequent targets:
- South America at 72 percent
- Russia at 71 percent
- North America at 70 percent
- Asia-Pacific at 68 percent
- Western Europe at 63 percent.
How well a business accurately assesses daily malware numbers isn't indicative of how prepared it is in case of a cyberattack, the report said.
The better educated a company is, the easier it is to figure out an effective solution to computer security. Creating a culture of IT security awareness allows business leaders to assess risk more effectively and take steps such as figuring out what products could be targets and how well the infrastructure is protected.
Businesses must be vigilant about cyber safety and take appropriate precautions. They should invest in software layered security with anti-virus software. They should also run frequent scans to assess if any attacks have taken place. If they have, companies should contact professionals in case they need a system restore.