Property professionals are among a growing cohort of businesses increasingly concerned about the dangers of cybercrime, according to new research.

The 2022 Professional Services Cybersecurity Census Report by Keeper Security, has revealed that as many as 93% of professional service organisations believe the severity of cyberattacks will increase over the next year and that the time taken to detect a cyberattack is increasing.

The survey also found that nearly eight out of 10 (77%) professional service leaders believe they need more time when attacks occur, reporting that the time taken to identify and respond to a cyberattack has increased in the past 12 months.

Nearly a third (31%) of professional services organisations surveyed as part of the study said they had experienced financial theft, with 42% having between £100,000 and £999,999 stolen. Also, nearly half (47%) said they had experienced reputational damage as a result of a successful cyberattack, with 46% suffering from disruption of partner/customer operations, while 39% experienced loss of a business contract.

Rising external threats was ranked as the top cybersecurity concern among 50% of the professional services respondents, with just 3% saying cybersecurity was not important to the directors at their organisation.

Some 40% cited the need to address skills gaps within their staff and more than a third (37%) noted the weak link presented to an organisation’s cyber defence through contractors, interns and unsophisticated users inadvertently exposing an organisation to risk.

Darren Guccione, co-founder and CEO of Keeper, commented: “Although the professional services community knows that cybersecurity threats will continue to grow and their preparedness shows positive signs, we do not know how resilient they will be in the face of future challenges.

“The increased amount of time it takes for professional services IT teams to address a cyberattack and the widening scope of damage from a data breach emphasise the need to stay ahead of evolving threats through employee training, adopting the right technologies and implementing best practices.”