Micro businesses in the UK are not ready for cyber-attacks, a new survey by Kaspersky Lab has found. Although mobile devices have heavily penetrated the business world, and most businesses rely on their computers to store critical information, many UK small firms believe they could never be hit by a cyber-attack. Some 82% consider themselves too small to be a target.

The study covered micro firms operating in various industries - from hairdressers to builders, doctor’s surgeries and legal firms. It found that 31% said that they don’t have an emergency plan if they were to be hit by a cyber attack. Four in ten firms worry that recovery of lost data would prove difficult, and a quarter say they wouldn’t be able to recover it at all.

How real is the threat?

Of the firms polled, 68% have laptops connected to the Internet and half allow IT-enabled mobile and remote working. The firms use computers to store and process important data such as confidential customer, supplier and financial records, and IP.

Despite widespread confidence, cyber threats to small firms are quite real. Kaspersky points to data from the Federation of Small Business, according to which 41% of small firms fell victim to cyber-crime in 2013.

The fact that small firms use latest technologies is great, but this should go hand in hand with an understanding and implementation of internet security, warns Kirill Slavin, UK MD at Kaspersky Lab. One in ten of the firms surveyed said a cyber-attack could cost them their business, so it’s clear that precautions need to be taken, Slavin says.

Together with Barclays Bank, Kaspersky Lab has outlined some tips for small firms to ward off cyber-attacks. These include:

• protecting computers and internet-enabled devices with strong passwords
• introducing software that can filter suspicious attachments
• educating employees on internet security best practices
• providing back-up on vital information
• implementing internet security software.