Online fraud is now the most common crime in the country with new figures showing one in ten people have fallen victim to it. Data from the annual Crime Survey of England and Wales shows more than five-and-a-half million cyber offences take place each year - nearly 50 per cent of all crime in the country.

US firms appear to be better prepared for managing internet disruptions than their UK peers over the pond, new research from Dyn suggests. The company’s poll of US and UK IT teams reveals that the average internet disruption takes twice as long to rectify here as it does in America.

Companies’ lack of cyber security skills means they’re struggling to detect, prevent and deal with cyber crime, a new research report suggests. A study by Enterprise Strategy Group and the Information Systems Security Association found:

Nearly three-quarters of UK firms (74 per cent) say they are not doing anywhere near enough to protect themselves against cyber attacks and data breaches, according to a new study.

The government is to investment £1.9 billion in the UK’s cyber security defence to make it “one of the safest places in the world” to do business. Under a new cyber security plan outlined by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, the UK will develop a “world-class” cyber strategy to protect businesses, citizens and the economy.

Local authorities are being urged to consider the importance of cyber investment after research showed many councils spend more on health and safety training than the do training in data protection and cyber security.

Cybercrime and fraud is costing businesses and individuals £10.9 billion every year, or £210 for every adult, awareness group Get Safe Online is warning. The organisation said that figure could actually be much higher, closer to £520, which is more than the average weekly earnings figure for the UK.

Some British companies remain unconcerned about the risks data security and power loss pose to their business, a new report suggests. Some 15 per cent of small and medium-sized firms polled by Barclays said they didn’t think of data breaches and cyber crime as being a “major risk” to their operations.

Businesses are planning to ditch passwords as they look to strengthen their authentication processes, new research finds. A poll of IT decision-makers at 200 firms by Wakefield Research found 69 per cent of organisations are likely to completely phase-out passwords within the next 5 years.