Cybersecurity risks rise for SMEs due to human error and remote work

Cybersecurity risks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly driven by human error and the challenges of remote work. According to the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, the human factor was involved in 62% of security breaches, often through simple mistakes like weak passwords or misinterpreted emails.

In Spain, the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) reported managing over 122,000 cybersecurity incidents in 2025, highlighting a steady increase in technical incidents affecting businesses of all sizes.

The shift toward remote work has eliminated traditional network perimeters, as employees connect from unsecured home or public networks. To mitigate these risks, experts recommend using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to create encrypted tunnels for data transmission. The economic impact of these vulnerabilities is significant; an IBM report from 2026 indicates that a data breach costs an average of $4.99 million, representing a 12% increase from the previous year, with detection and containment taking approximately 247 days on average.