In 2024, concern about cybersecurity among businesses in the European Union (EU) has been reflected in a significant increase in actions taken to inform their employees about obligations related to this topic. According to recent data, 60.0% of companies with ten or more employees have implemented measures to raise awareness among their staff, representing an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to the 58.3% recorded in 2022. This trend reflects a growing recognition of the importance of information technology security in the European business environment.
Czechia stands out as the leading country in this initiative, where an astonishing 77.5% of companies have taken cybersecurity training actions. Funded by this initiative, Finland and Denmark have also shown good performance, reaching percentages of 74.8% and 70.1%, respectively. On the other hand, Greece, Croatia, and Latvia are at the opposite end of the list, with the lowest percentages of cybersecurity awareness, at 31.7%, 39.0%, and 47.5%, respectively.
Additionally, a total of 19 EU countries have reported improvements in the proportion of companies increasing awareness of cybersecurity obligations since 2022. Belgium has stood out with the greatest improvement, with an increase of 9.1 percentage points. Finland and Poland have also had significant increases, with 7.5 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively. However, some countries such as Estonia, Ireland, and Latvia have faced decreases in this aspect, with decreases of 6.4, 6.3, and 3.0 percentage points.
Furthermore, the impact of cybersecurity incidents remains a concern. In 2023, 21.5% of companies in the EU reported experiencing some type of incident, resulting in severe consequences such as the inoperability of information technology services, and the destruction or corruption of data. The most frequent problem reported was the unavailability of IT services, affecting 18.0% of companies, followed by data destruction or corruption which impacted 3.9%. Only 1.2% of organizations mentioned accidental disclosure of confidential data by their employees.
This increasing attention to cybersecurity is part of a broader context of awareness about online safety, especially relevant on dates like February 11, when Safer Internet Day is celebrated, a day dedicated to promoting a safer internet for everyone. Preparation and response to the challenges of cybersecurity are critical elements for building a safer and more resilient digital environment in the European Union.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
