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Abstract

No business is immune to the threat of cybercrime. Despite the misconceptions that only large businesses pose a viable target; 1 in every 2 Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are subjected to a cyberbreach each year. To protect against the potential devastating consequences of cybercrime, businesses must stay informed of the cyber risks they face, before taking proportionate action. However, this requires appropriate resources, often found lacking within the SME community.
Several cyberthreats ‘make up’ the threat landscape; each with differing motivations and capabilities that will determine the likelihood of the ‘threat’ carrying out a successful cyberattack. SMEs face their own unique cyberthreat landscape, attributed to their collective diversity ‘make up’. It is this that will either increase or decrease the cyberthreats motivation to target them. ‘Tailoring’ the analysis of the cyberthreat landscape, enables the proportionate management of the cyber risks the SME faces, demonstrating ‘value’; key in a climate of constrained resources.
To contribute to SMEs in establishing an informed approach to cybersecurity risk management, a thematic literature review was used to evaluate: the nature, extent and response to the cybercrime landscape. The research reveals the most pressing cyberthreats facing SMEs are: Cyber Criminals and Insiders. Both are considered to have the motivation and capabilities to orchestrate successful cyberattacks against them. However, it is evident the majority of cyberattacks can be thwarted with basic security controls, accessible to SMEs.

Course: Risk and Security Management - BSc (Hons) - C1565

Date Deposited: 2020-11-23

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13619.html