The score is based on a scale of -10 to 10, with a lower score being indicative of a higher level of risk. The number is calculated by subtracting the score for threats from the score for preparedness. 

Despite the record high score, most of the 3,729 responding organisations are pessimistic about the upcoming year, according to files by infosecurity magazine. According to the cyber risk index report, 70% of respondents said it was “somewhat to very likely” that they would suffer a breach of customer data, 69% said the same about an IP breach, and 78% said the same about a successful cyber-attack. 

“It means that organisations may be taking steps to improve their cyber-preparedness,” Jon Clay, VP of threat intelligence at Trend Micro told infosecurity. “There is still much to be done, as employees remain a source of risk. The first step to managing this is to gain complete and continuous attack surface visibility and control.”

The report also identified the top five cyber threats facing businesses which were:

1. Clickjacking, where an attacker tricks the user into clicking hyperlinks different from what the user perceives. 
2. Business email compromise, a form of phishing where the attacker tricks an executive or a budget holder into transferring funds or revealing information. 
3. Ransomware, which is malware scans a local device and the only way to restore the access to the encrypted data is to pay a ransom.
4. Fileless attack, which is where the attacker exploits software or application to perform malicious activities.
5. Botnets, which are a network of computers with malware that are under the control of a single attacking party. 

The top four threats remained the same from the last report, with just Botnets replacing login attacks in fifth place. 

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According to the report, negligence and lack of training can be to blame for the cause of concern going forward. 

Speaking to Infosecurity, Ponemon Institute founder, Larry Ponemon said: “As the shift to hybrid working gathers momentum, organisations are rightly concerned about the risk posed by negligent employees and the infrastructure used to support remote workers.

“They will need to focus not only on technology solutions but people and processes to help mitigate these risks.”