Hackers feared to have penetrated half of UK businesses due to staff working from home

HACKERS are feared to have penetrated half of UK businesses due to staff working from home.

And one in ten firms confirmed they were victims of a cyber attack last year, with IT systems thought to be more vulnerable, a study found.

GettyHackers are feared to have penetrated half of UK businesses due to staff working from home[/caption]

Four out of five companies had no protections against cyber-criminals, the poll by the British Chambers of Commerce and IT firm Cisco found.

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC, said: “The huge shift to home working, and the use of cloud computing, for tens of thousands of employees happened almost overnight.

“So it is not surprising that many firms were caught out by the implications this had for their cyber-security arrangements.”

He added that as companies shift to hybrid working it is “more vital than ever that firms have the right cyber-security protections in place.”

Aine Rogers from Cisco added: “The lines between professional and personal are more blurred than ever.

“Organisations are no longer just protecting an ‘office’ but a workforce at the kitchen table.

“That’s why we need to evolve thinking to focus on securing your employees and what they are doing, not where they are.”