INFOGRAPHIC
UK business leaders more worried about ransomware than economic uncertainty
Survey findings have revealed UK business leaders ’ growing anxiety about dealing with ransomware and the psychological , human and financial damage the attacks are causing .
Surging cyberattacks have significantly elevated UK business leaders ’ anxiety about ransomware , with 43 % ranking it as more of a concern than all other critical macroeconomic and business challenges , a new local survey from Censuswide , commissioned by Veeam Software , a leader in data protection and ransomware recovery , has revealed .
Earlier this year , the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023 found that 85 % of global businesses surveyed suffered at least one attack last year , so it ’ s not surprising that UK business leaders rate ransomware as a more significant threat to their organisation than the economic crisis ( 41 %), skills shortages ( 34 %), political uncertainty ( 31 %) and Brexit ( 30 %). However , the psychological and human impact that this is having on business leaders and their employees is far more deep-rooted than previously understood .
Censuswide surveyed 100 directors of UK companies with over 500 employees who had suffered a ransomware attack in the past 18 months . The study unearthed several concerning results : 61 % are anxious about the prospect of another ransomware attack . This might well be explained by the fact that 71 % agree that their business would collapse if it suffered another attack , and 56 % believe another incident would force the organisation to make redundancies . In fact , 77 % of organisations reduced staff numbers after the last attack and over 50 % were unable to make new hires due to paying a ransom .
The local survey also uncovered the severe toll cybercrime places on people ’ s well-being : 54 % of respondents said they experienced a decline in their overall health , while 26 % left the role they were in altogether . Troublingly , it ’ s not just
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