As cybersecurity threats and concerns increase, many SMBs are preparing employees to deal with it.

A Tuesday Webroot report found that companies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia are amping up their cybersecurity readiness, with nearly 100% of respondents saying their businesses have conducted some form of employee cybersecurity training.

Despite this statistic, the study found that 79% of respondents were not ready to manage their IT security and protect against threats. Only half or a third of respondents implemented “continuous” cybersecurity training, something necessary for effectiveness, according to the report.

SEE: Cybersecurity in 2018: A roundup of predictions (Tech Pro Research)

Startlingly, the number of respondents who said they felt very confident about cybersecurity fell from 48% in 2017 to 21% in 2018.

The study found that many companies’ security concerns are shifting in 2018. Phishing took the no. 1 slot, replacing malware. Malware dropped to no. 6. Respondents from the United States reported that their businesses would be most susceptible to phishing at 56%.

Respondents in the UK reported that their companies were most susceptible to ransomware attacks at 44%. Australian respondents ranked themselves as most susceptible to DNS attacks at 52%.

Five years after the Edward Snowden news broke and companies began worrying about insider threats, only 25% reported their business to be susceptible to such threats. In Australia however, 32% of respondents reported their companies would be at risk.

To better defend against cyberattacks, Webroot offered tips in a press release. The release stated that businesses should be concerned with employee cybersecurity education and be aware of their businesses’ risk profiles and prepare for the worst.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

  • SMBs should focus on continuous employee cybersecurity education to more effectively prepare against real-world cyberattacks.
  • The number of business leaders who said they felt very confident about cybersecurity fell from 48% in 2017 to 21% in 2018.