More than one in 10 UK businesses believe they would not survive a serious cyber incident, according to a new study by Vodafone Business that lays bare the growing fragility of corporate cyber defences.

The research, based on a survey of 1,000 senior leaders, found that over 10 per cent of businesess surveyed admitted their organisations would be unlikely to recover from an atack

Nearly two-thirds said their exposure to cyber risk has increased over the past 12 months. Nearly three-quarters of leaders believe at least one employee would fall for a phishing email. Common reasons include poor awareness, lack of training, staff being “too busy”, and no clear protocols for spotting and reporting suspicious messages.

“Some of these findings are truly alarming,” said Nick Gliddon, Business Director at VodafoneThree.

Around 89 per cent of bosses say high-profile cyber-attacks made them more alert to online threats, but less fewer than half of the, have ensured staff have had basic cyber awareness training.
Artificial intelligence is making scams harder to spot.

Deepfake videos have made businesses more wary of video calls claiming to be from senior colleagues or their boss to trick employees into transferring money, handing over data or granting system access. 

“This renewed focus from policymakers underscores the seriousness of the threat and the need for a united approach between industry and government to tackle online fraud and cyber-crime effectively,” he said.