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Cyberattacks cost Indonesian SMEs dearly in terms of revenue, reputation
Small businesses in Indonesia are considered easy prey and can serve hackers as launchpads to other critical environments.
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Cybercriminals typically aim to access customer, employee or financial data from businesses using malware, phishing and denial of service (DoS) techniques. (Shutterstock/File)
C
yberattacks against big companies and government institutions in Indonesia have made headlines in recent months. However, criminals are also targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), often causing devastating losses of revenue or reputation.
A new study from technology company Cisco shows that one-third of Indonesian SMEs suffered from cyberattacks in the last 12 months. Among those experiencing cyberattacks, 43 percent said they lost at least US$500,000 in revenue and spending for recovery, while 12 percent said they lost more than $1 million.
Cisco Indonesia director Marina Kacaribu said the longer it took a business to detect and remediate a cyberattack, the more severe its impact on operational performance and revenue. More than 80 percent of SMEs in Indonesia said they needed more than one hour to detect and handle breaches.
“For some SMEs, more than an hour of downtime could mean permanent business closure,” she said during an online media briefing on Thursday.
Marina also said that cybercriminals typically aimed to access customer, employee or financial data from businesses using malware, phishing and denial of service (DoS) techniques. While malware and phishing were generally used to steal company data, DoS attacks were used to intentionally disrupt business services.
She went on to say that SMEs should make sure that their employees are working from secure internet connections and avoid clicking on suspicious links in emails, especially as companies were allowing people to work from anywhere.
“We live in a digitally connected world, and SMEs are no exception. The more they are connected to the internet, the higher the cybersecurity risks would be,” she said.
