CNBC | SurveyMonkey: US Small Businesses Not Ready for Cyberattack

CNBC and SurveyMonkey recently released information from their Small Business Index survey for the second quarter of 2022. It found that eight in ten business owners expect a recession to occur this year and that inflation continues to be a top concern.

Another finding is that, despite the potential cybersecurity threats from Russia, businesses are no more concerned about cybersecurity than they were previously.

As CNBC notes, "Since Russia invaded Ukraine in January of this year, the U.S. government has warned of an elevated risk of a cyberattack, which Russia could use to try to draw the U.S. into a direct conflict. Despite the increased threat, small business owners are no more concerned about a potential cyberattack — and no more prepared to deal with one should it occur — than they were a year ago."

The graph below illustrates how businesses are concerned about cybersecurity compared to other issues, such as supply chain disruptions, inflation, COVID-19, and the labor shortage. It does illustrate a significant drop in COVID concern, however. As for cybersecurity, only five percent of small business owners reported it to be the current biggest risk to their business.

Image via CNBC

The number of business owners reporting cybersecurity as their top risk has remained relatively unchanged for several quarters, while inflation concerns have increased significantly. The timing of this particular survey is noteworthy, however, as it is the first to reflect opinions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While survey results do indicate that some businesses are concerned about cyberattacks over the next year, it appears that most are not particularly concerned, with 38 percent saying they’re not so concerned, and another 23 percent saying they’re not concerned at all. Only nine percent said they are very concerned.

How concerned are you that your business will be the victim of a cyberattack within the next 12 months?

Image via SurveyMonkey\

While the majority of U.S. small businesses polled believe they would be able to quickly resolve a cyberattack, a significant 36 percent are not confident that they could do so. Even though most expressed confidence in their ability to resolve one, only a quarter said they are "very" confident.

How confident are you in your ability to quickly resolve a cyberattack on your business?

Image via SurveyMonkey

Only 34 percent said that, in the event of a ransomware or another cyberattack, their business has a set plan it would follow to respond, though another 13 percent said that, while they do not currently have a plan, they do have one in development. Forty-one percent simply said that they do not have a plan. Eleven percent were not even sure.

Nearly half of businesses polled have installed antivirus/malware software, strengthened passwords, and/or backed up files on external hard drives. Only 15 percent have taken any cybersecurity training, however.

While businesses certainly face other pressing challenges, like inflation, supply chain disruption, and worker shortages, it would be wise to not disregard the importance of cybersecurity preparedness.