Pacific Island countries are ripe for cyber-attacks. Photo: 123RF
New Zealand businesses are complacent and have a false sense of security about cyber security leaving them open to attack, according to a new report.
The country's largest IT company, Datacom, said a survey showed businesses generally overestimate their resilience and ability to handle cyber threats, when in reality, they are ill prepared.
Chief information security officer Collin Penman said businesses needed to take the issue more seriously.
"Some organisations are getting this right, with business continuity and resilience plans in place, but they remain the exception rather than the rule," he said.
"Leaders are overestimating employee preparedness, and that overconfidence increases cyber risk."
The survey found 71 percent of company leaders claimed their staff were well prepared and aware of cyber risks, but only 51 percent of staff agreed with them.
Penman said the complacency left firms vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence (AI), which were ranked as the number one concern by security specialists.
He said New Zealand has also fallen behind Australia in recognising the risks and strengthening cyber defences.
"New Zealand cannot afford to fall behind in cyber resilience," Penman said.
"With AI adoption accelerating and cyber threats evolving, governance must be embedded into business and security frameworks."
"Cyber security investment supports business continuity, growth, and trust - because preventing a breach is always better than responding to one."
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