Despite the escalating threat from such web-based security problems, the survey found that businesses are not spending or doing enough to protect themselves from harm.
The report puts the average cost of each serious security breach at £30,000. The most serious incidents could cost up to £500,000 to fix and take days to repair the damage.
The 2002 DTI Information Security Breaches survey found that 44% of all businesses questioned have suffered a malicious security incident or breach in 2001, almost double the 24% who reported suffering breaches in 2000.
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