UK small businesses face surge in cyberattacks as BT acts

Cybercriminals have significantly increased malicious scans on British business devices over the past year, according to data released by BT.

BT's data reveals that networked devices at UK organisations, including company laptops, mobile phones and IoT equipment such as office security cameras, now face over 4,000 automated scans daily by hackers searching for vulnerabilities. The research states that these scouting raids have risen by 300% in the past 12 months, as cyber attackers use automated bots to probe business networks for weaknesses.

SMEs under increased threat

The company found that professional services, including accountancy, legal and consultancy firms, are the most frequent targets of ransomware attacks, with retail businesses close behind. The hospitality and leisure sector ranks as the third-largest victim group, with criminals seeking to access guest data and payment information.

The findings indicate that ransomware attacks hit smaller businesses especially hard, particularly those with fewer than 25 employees, which are identified as the most commonly targeted group. These businesses often struggle with limited resources devoted to cybersecurity and can be more prone to critical breaches caused by both hardware and human error.

BT and CrowdStrike launch AI-powered antivirus

In response, BT has announced a partnership with CrowdStrike to provide a new AI-powered antivirus service for small businesses. The product, BT Business Antivirus Detect and Respond, will use CrowdStrike's Falcon Go technology to detect and stop cyber threats before breaches can occur. The service will be available exclusively through BT in the UK.

This AI-powered approach comes as research from CrowdStrike shows just 11% of small businesses currently deploy AI in their cybersecurity, despite increasing use of artificial intelligence by hackers to conduct and scale attacks. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre previously highlighted that "keeping pace with frontier AI capabilities" will be crucial in maintaining resilience against upcoming threats over the next decade.

Chris Sims, Chief Commercial Officer at BT Business, said: "Cybercrime is a threat to all businesses, not just the household names that make headlines when they get hacked. Although small businesses often don't consider themselves prime targets, they're under attack like never before, as cybercriminals increasingly use AI to scan for and exploit vulnerabilities. We're committed to delivering leading technologies that secure organisations of all sizes enabling them to focus on growing their business."

Daniel Bernard, Chief Business Officer at CrowdStrike said: "Adversaries are weaponising AI to launch faster, more targeted attacks - and BT's data shows the scale of that threat is only accelerating. At CrowdStrike, we've harnessed AI to stop breaches before they happen. Together with BT, we're bringing that same AI-powered protection and expertise to UK small and medium-sized businesses, giving them the power to stay ahead of even the most sophisticated adversaries."