More than half (58%) of small UK firms are failing to take any precautions against a possible Russian cyber-attack, research has found.

The findings come from the Databarracks 2022 Data Health Check survey of 400 IT decision makers focused on themes of Ransomware, Cyber, Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.

Barnaby Mote, Managing Director of Databarracks, commented “The current risk of cyber-attack is high. All organisations, regardless of size, should be taking extra precautions to protect their data.”

By comparison, only 19% of large organisations (500+ employees) surveyed said they weren’t taking any precautions against a Russian cyber-attack.

According to Mote, the most common mitigations, across all sizes of organisation were implement or update antivirus software (40%), implement or update user access controls (35%) and increased frequency of patching and updates (34%).

Mote continued: “Cyber-attacks on larger organisations make headlines. This can give the impression that they’re not happening elsewhere, but smaller organisations also suffer an enormous volume of attacks.

“Smaller organisations don’t have dedicated cyber security teams like enterprises but that doesn’t mean they are defenceless.

“The NCSC has issued official guidance on steps to take when cyber threat is heightened. The advice includes logging and monitoring, reviewing backups, reviewing incident plans, checking internet footprint and phishing response, among others.

Mote suggests that companies put more of a focus on ensuring cybersecurity basics are followed. This includes implementing Multi-Factor Authentication, ensuring systems are kept up to date and having reliable off-site backups available.

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“Organisations should also consider the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials PLUS Certification, Mote added. “Cyber Essentials helps organisations set solid, foundational cyber security controls, and it is especially suitable for smaller businesses.

“The Cyber Essentials PLUS Certification includes the additional benefit of having a qualified assessor carry out an audit of those controls to demonstrate your organisation’s resilience.”

Databarrack’s data contrasts with the UK Government advice earlier this year urging companies and charities to bolster cybersecurity practices due to a wave of cyberattacks.

The suggestions came as around 30% of charities and 39% of firms reported cybersecurity breaches or attacks over the previous 12-month period.

In Scotland, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has urged firms to remain vigilant in preparation for a potential increase in cyber-attacks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The SBRC warned there will likely be an increase in retaliatory Russian cyber-attacks against other nations, such as the recent attacks against Estonia and Lithuania.

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