Business Wire

Keeper Security: New report reveals significant cybersecurity pressures on UK businesses

Share

UK businesses are struggling to deal with multiple urgent cybersecurity challenges, new research by Keeper Security has revealed. The 2021 Cybersecurity Census Report shows cyberattacks are becoming more vicious, frequent and sophisticated, while UK businesses are underprepared and too slow to counter these attacks. As a result, senior leaders within UK organisations are preoccupied with playing a cyberattack blame game instead of investing in boosting their defences.

The report has found that more than nine in ten (92%) UK business suffered a cyberattack in the last 12 months and three quarters (78%) feel unprepared to deal with this threat. Nearly a third (31%) believe CTOs should take the blame in the case of a successful cyberattack. Such a weight of responsibility means cybersecurity standards are dropping: 36% of senior IT leaders confess to having kept a cyberattack to themselves, while 32% admit to using weak credentials such as ‘password’ or ‘admin’ to protect their data.

“UK businesses are clearly worried about their cybersecurity and, as our report has found, the challenges are manifold, affecting everything from budgets to productivity,” said Darren Guccione, CEO & co-founder, Keeper Security. “While there is a desire to boost security efforts, companies are facing many competing challenges right now and, understandably, might not always make cybersecurity investments a priority. Our report is an urgent reminder for organisations to proactively address their cybersecurity challenges as a priority since deferring them will make the consequences far more severe.”

Key findings include:

  • Almost all (92%) UK organisations are aware of gaps or weak links in their cybersecurity defences are, but less than half (40%) are actively addressing all of them
  • Two-thirds (66%) of UK organisations have relaxed their cybersecurity policies over the past 12 months so staff can work remotely or in order not to stifle productivity
  • 58% of IT professionals feel employees at their organisations do not understand the full consequences of poor cyber-hygiene
  • 61% of UK companies have a skills shortage in cybersecurity
  • The financial fallout of cyberattacks has been damaging, too, costing nearly one in ten (8%) UK businesses over £1 million
  • An overwhelming 87% of IT leaders support the creation of a nationwide governing body to hold businesses to account when it comes to best online security practices
  • And almost all (91%) are in agreement that UK businesses should be legally required to have basic cybersecurity protections in place to be allowed to operate

“Companies are struggling to put the right solutions in place to cope with cyberattacks and the consequences are both damaging and costly,” said Craig Lurey, CTO and co-founder, Keeper Security. “The conditions caused by Covid-19 have led to an increased amount of hybrid working, making effective cybersecurity defences even harder to achieve. But if businesses want to bounce back fully after the pandemic, they must get their security hygiene in order without delay.”

Despite the rise in cyberattacks and increasing pressures felt by security teams, more than a quarter of UK companies (28%) do not consider IT to be even in their top three priorities as they plan for the next 12 months. This is particularly worrying, given almost all (92%) UK organisations know where the gaps or weak links in their cybersecurity defences are but well under half (40%) are actively addressing them.

Guccione concludes: “While this situation can't be rectified overnight, there are straightforward steps UK businesses can take to boost their cyber defences. First, organisations should do a comprehensive cybersecurity audit, looking at where the gaps lie and how they can be addressed. Next, they need to put in place a clear plan of action for how to address these challenges. Running cybersecurity training sessions to educate employees and introducing a password management platform to keep credentials safe and secure are two simple, yet highly effective actions business can take today, to be better prepared against cyberattacks tomorrow.”

+++ ENDS +++

About Keeper Security Inc.

Keeper Security, Inc. (Keeper) is the highly-rated and patented cybersecurity platform for preventing password-related data breaches and cyberthreats. Keeper’s zero-knowledge security and encryption software is trusted by millions of people and thousands of businesses across the globe to mitigate the risk of cybertheft, boost employee productivity and meet compliance standards. Keeper has been named PC Magazine’s Best Password Manager of the Year & Editors’ Choice, PCWorld’s Editors’ Choice and is the winner of four G2 Best Software Awards and the InfoSec Award for Best Product in Password Management for SMB Cybersecurity. Keeper is SOC-2 and ISO 27001 Certified and is also listed for use by the U.S. federal government through the System for Award Management (SAM). Learn more at https://keepersecurity.com.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

PR contact:
Tara Geoghegan
tara.geoghegan@archetype.co

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Global Tourism Surging Ahead of Economic Growth, With Visits to Hit 30 Billion by 20344.7.2025 02:00:00 EEST | Press release

The World Economic Forum has today published a new report forecasting that the travel and tourism industry is projected to serve 30 billion tourist trips by 2034. Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point: Principles for Transformative Growth, produced in collaboration with Kearney and the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, reveals a projected $16 trillion contribution to global GDP by the same year—representing more than 11% of the total world economy, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates. The report also found that the sector is expanding 1.5 times faster than the global economy, generating significant commercial opportunities as long as the mounting challenges of climate change, labour shortages and infrastructure gaps are addressed. Inbound and outbound trips increasing fast Asia is on track to become the world’s fastest-growing tourism economy, with the direct travel and tourism GDP contribution expected to exceed 7% across the region by 2034. Notably, India and China

The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition Honouring Leading Pet and Animal Brands Globally3.7.2025 22:00:00 EEST | Press release

The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition marked its fifth instalment, bringing together leading pet and animal brands from all around the world. These brands were celebrated for their outstanding achievements, earning recognition as National, Regional, and Global Winners. The awards ceremony, held at Vienna's prestigious Hofburg Palace, welcomed winners across diverse categories, including pet food, retail, wellness, pet exhibitions, and aquatic products. Mounia Berrada-Gouzi expertly hosted the evening, which culminated in a grand celebration of brand excellence. “The Animalis Edition of the World Branding Awards recognises brands that have achieved the highest distinction—genuine recognition in the hearts and minds of consumers. Tonight, we honour those whose names resonate globally, whose values inspire loyalty, and whose presence defines excellence in the pet and animal industry,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum. Out of over 950 brands nominate

Venture Global Announces 20-Year Sales and Purchase Agreement with PETRONAS3.7.2025 15:59:00 EEST | Press release

Today, Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE: VG) announced the execution of a new 20-year Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with PETRONAS LNG Ltd. (PLL), a subsidiary of the Malaysian state-owned oil and gas company, PETRONAS. Under the terms of the SPA, PETRONAS will purchase 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Venture Global’s third facility, CP2 LNG, for 20 years. This builds upon Venture Global’s existing agreement with PETRONAS for 1 MTPA of LNG supply from Plaquemines LNG. PETRONAS, a world-class partner in the LNG industry, joins other CP2 LNG customers in Europe, Asia and the rest of the world in a strategically important project to global energy supply and security. To date, approximately 10.75 MTPA of the 14.4 MTPA nameplate capacity for CP2 Phase One has been sold. About Venture Global Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global’s business includes assets ac

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Novotech as 2025 Global Biotech CRO Company of the Year3.7.2025 15:05:00 EEST | Press release

In recognition of its innovation, client-focused delivery, and global impact, Novotech has been awarded the 2025 Global Biotechnology Contract Research Organization (CRO) Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250703950144/en/ Novotech Wins Global CRO Award Novotech is a globally recognized full-service clinical CRO and scientific advisory firm, trusted by biotech and small- to mid-sized pharmaceutical companies to advance their drug development programs at every phase. With a global footprint spanning Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, Novotech supports over 5,000 clinical trial sites and a distributed team of experts delivering seamless, end-to-end solutions across geographies. “Novotech is redefining biotech-focused clinical research through AI-driven innovation, global expansion, and a client-embedded partnership model. With a clear vision to be the CRO of choice for

Tinnitus Research: Novel Compound AC102 Makes Constant Ear Noise Disappear in Preclinical Model3.7.2025 13:02:00 EEST | Press release

The novel compound AC102 almost completely reversed tinnitus in a preclinical model after a single dose. At the same time, the damaged connections between the auditory nerve and inner ear sensory cells were restored. These findings were recently published in the prestigious International Journal of Molecular Sciences in a joint study conducted by Erlangen University Hospital and Berlin-based drug developer AudioCure. As there is currently no causal treatment for tinnitus, there is a high medical need. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250702168211/en/ In 10-20% of tinnitus cases, the noise in the ear is so severe that it significantly impairs the quality of life of those affected. (Source: AI-generated) In the current study, AC102 was administered to the middle ear of one experimental group after acoustic trauma, while a second group received a placebo. Although both groups initially showed signs of tinnitus, th

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye