Small businesses are failing to update their anti-virus software, despite a widespread realisation of the need for network protection, new research has found.
The survey, conducted by Sophos, found that although 87 per cent of firms had ant-virus measures in place, more than six in ten were not keeping track of the latest threats and dealing with them.
Many entrepreneurs were also failing to protect themselves from spam, with a massive 72 per cent admitting they did not have any measures to deal with unwanted emails.
Even though anti-spam programmes didn’t appear to be a priority for small firms, 80 per cent said that their productivity was harmed by junk emails clogging up their inboxes.
Major viruses, such as the recent MyDoom outbreak, have proved particularly damaging to small businesses, who often feel they do not have the time or money to deal with attacks.
Worryingly, research has shown that a single disaster, such as a virus, is enough to send a small company to the wall, with entrepreneurs losing essential information and work due to malicious hackers.
Graham Cluley, of Sophos, said that with new viruses able to spread around the internet in a matter of hours, it’s no longer effective to update anti-virus software on a daily basis or less.
“It’s obviously good that companies are deploying anti-virus protection, but they are pouring their money down the drain if the protection is not frequently updated,” he said.
Cluley added that small businesses realise they are feeling the pain of spam, but most are doing nothing to prevent it.
“It seems bizarre that so many companies are suffering from spam every day, but taking no measures to protect themselves,” he said.