Cyberattacks on companies double

The number of companies suffering external cyberattacks designed to steal commercial secrets doubled in 2012-13 compared with the previous financial year, according to statistics that underscore the growing cyber threat to companies.

The figures were published amid warnings from cyber experts that companies were not doing enough to defend themselves against hackers despite the numbers of attacks. Of the companies that reported information theft over the period, 35 percent said they were victims of external hackers, compared with 18 per cent during the previous year, according to annual fraud statistics compiled by Kroll, the investigations agency.