A staggering 50% of small businesses in the UK have been victims of cyber crime, a recent report from campaign group Get Safe Online has found.

According to the survey, which was carried out by research company Vanson Bourne, more than a third of small businesses have experienced a virus outbreak, while a further 18% have been victims of spyware, phishing or hacking attacks in the past two years.

Fewer than five percent of organisations have IT support dedicated to address emergent online threats, while a further 60% responded that their businesses would grind to a halt if their IT systems failed.