Study: Only 15% of Companies Regularly Train Employees in Cybersecurity

The proportion of companies in Latvia that have experienced cyberattacks has increased from 14% last year to 18% this year, according to a study by "Bite Latvija" and the research center SKDS. Meanwhile, regular employee training on IT security issues is indicated by only 15% of companies.

"Fifteen percent, that is a shockingly small number of companies doing this. And if it is not done in the future, then very simply – fraudsters who scam money or encrypt data will create a much larger effect. Already, we are talking about millions being scammed every year just in Latvia, not to mention the billions across the ocean and so on... Well, if it is not done and this percentage is not improved, then we will probably soon be able to add another zero to these figures we are talking about now," Māris Priekulis, Director of the Large Business Client Department at "Bite Latvija," told Skonto media group.

According to the latest data published by CERT.LV, the level of cybersecurity threat in Latvia remains high. The most significant threats are fraud and phishing, malware, exploitation of system vulnerabilities, data theft, and attacks on organizations' IT infrastructure. Currently, phishing remains the most common type of cyber incident, with fraudsters posing as banks, government institutions, and service providers, trying to obtain access and payment data.

Technical protection is improving, while employee training is lacking. Data from this year's study by "Bite Latvija" and SKDS show that in 66% of cases, companies in Latvia regularly update software, 61% create and store data backups in the cloud, and 33% use two-factor authentication. The use of all these solutions has increased over the year, most rapidly – two-factor authentication, which has increased by 9 percentage points. Meanwhile, regular employee training on IT security issues is mentioned in only 15% of cases.

In addition to improving employee knowledge, a significant challenge for companies is the availability of necessary specialists and funding for implementing cybersecurity solutions. A lack of suitable specialists is indicated as an obstacle to broader ICT solution use by 13% of company leaders, while high costs are noted by 18%. Although costs are still the most frequently mentioned specific obstacle, their proportion is gradually decreasing – in 2025, it was indicated by 20%, whereas in 2024 – 22%.