Small businesses are being urged to take steps to protect themselves from the threat of ransomware attacks after hackers targeted the NHS earlier this month.

Research from the Federation for Small Business (FSB) claims 7 million cybercrimes are committed against SMEs in the UK every year, equating to more than 19,000 a day.

FSB figures show the average cybercrime incident costs a small company £3,000 and takes 2.2 days to recover from.

Dave Stallon, commercial director at FSB, said:

“We are raising the alarm. It is vital small businesses and the self-employed prioritise this – and they do it today.

“These businesses have limited resources, time and expertise to deal with the current and growing cybercrime threat but there is assistance available. They should follow our guidance – and do it now.”

Mike Cherry, FSB chairman, added:

“We are urging all small businesses to take steps to reduce the risk of an attack.

“Businesses should immediately check for updates to their operating systems and anti-malware software and download them where needed.

“We advise small firms to make sure their data is backed up – if the worst happens, data cannot then be held to ransom.”

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