Cyber attacks major concern for small business owners in the United States: study

Endurance International Group, a technology company in Burlington, Mass. that helps power small and medium-sized businesses online, released on Monday the results of its 2015 Small Business & CyberSecurity survey, which found 31% of small businesses in the United States have experienced a cyber attack or attempted cyber attack.

The survey of 1,016 small businesses – defined as those employing 10 or fewer people on a part-time for full-time basis – found that 81% of small business owners believe cybersecurity is a concern for their business, with 94% stating they frequently or occasionally think about cybersecurity issues. However, despite these concerns, less than half (42%) of survey respondents have invested resources in cybersecurity protection in the last year.

Of the small businesses surveyed, 95% responded that they do not have cybersecurity insurance. Additionally, a majority (83%) of small business owners handle their own cybersecurity matters, such as email, financial and transactional security, and do not have IT staff or utilize an outside resource, the study found.

“Cyber attacks aren’t just about targeting big business,” said Endurance CEO and Founder Hari Ravichandran in a press release. “From phishing emails to social engineering schemes, small business owners need to be on high alert as hackers find new and creative ways to infiltrate their businesses. Our survey shows that small business owners may not be equipped to handle these new challenges. In our current environment, it’s not a question of if your business will be targeted, but when.”

The release of the Endurance survey comes at the start of National Small Business Week in the U.S.