Half the businesses and a third of the charities have been caught with their digital trousers down, facing cyber shenanigans in the past year.

It's the big players—medium and large businesses, and even the well-established charities—who are the prime targets for these cyber pirates, with over 7.78 million cybercrimes reported in the UK. This is not just a matter of spam emails; we're talking about 116,000 serious cybercrimes, not just the phishy kind.

More than 78 per cent of these firms are unprepared for the worst-case scenario, lacking a plan for when the cyber muck hits the fan. Only 22 per cent have taken the necessary steps to protect themselves, leaving the majority vulnerable.

Socura Andy Kays said he was gobsmacked that after all the palaver and kerfuffle in the news, businesses are still as clueless as a penguin in a desert regarding cyber threats.

When the cyber bogeyman comes knocking, only 10 per cent of these businesses bother to call the cops.

The report's a right old dog's dinner, showing that 39 percent of these businesses do zilch after a breach. It's like they've got a 'Kick Me' sign taped to their backs. The small fry businesses are sitting ducks, but even the big kahunas—74 and 86 per cent—are scrambling to patch up their cyber nets.

On average, it costs businesses 1,206 euros a pop, but if the data gets nicked, you're looking at a hefty 6,940 euros. And that's before the lawyers start circling.