Global SMEs Confident in Handling Cyber Attacks, Study Finds

A survey of 4,400 decision‑makers from the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Japan shows that 75% of small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide consider themselves very or relatively confident in their ability to withstand and recover from a cyber‑attack. Confidence rises to 81% among firms that have experienced multiple incidents. The same research reveals that 45% of SMEs reported at least one cyber incident in the past twelve months.

The ESET Cybersecurity Preparedness Index 2026 identifies AI‑generated malware as the top global threat (31%), followed by ransomware (29%) and phishing (26%). Other common causes include unpatched vulnerabilities (23%), monitoring gaps (22%) and weak passwords (20%).

According to Tomas Foltyn of ESET, “a security breach is not a question of ‘if’, but of ‘when’.” The report also notes that 71% of SMEs have cyber‑insurance, a figure that climbs to 84% in North America. Experts stress that resilience must be built during calm periods, not during an incident.