BERLIN (Reuters) – Two thirds of Germany’s manufacturers have been hit by cyber-crime attacks, costing industry in Europe’s largest economy some 43 billion euros ($50 billion), according to a survey published by Germany’s IT sector association on Thursday.
Industry association Bitkom surveyed 503 top managers and security chiefs from across Germany’s manufacturing sector, and found the small and medium-sized companies that are the economy’s backbone were particularly vulnerable to attacks.
“With its worldwide market leaders, German industry is particularly interesting for criminals,” Bitkom head Achim Berg said in a statement, urging companies to take cyber-security more seriously and invest commensurately.
