One in Five Latvian Companies Upgrades Cybersecurity Only After an Attack
A survey by LMT, a Latvian mobile operator, shows that 21% of Latvian companies introduce new security solutions only after a cyber incident. Antivirus use has fallen to 58%, 11 percentage points lower than a year ago.
The cybersecurity situation in Latvian companies is getting worse, even though most business leaders are aware of the potential impact of cyber threats. This is shown by a survey of company executives conducted by LMT, a Latvian mobile operator, with results published this week. The survey found that 21% of companies start adopting new security solutions only after a cyber incident or system failure, citing a lack of time and IT resources as the main reason.
Use of basic protection tools has declined
Antivirus software is currently used by 58% of companies, which is 11 percentage points fewer than last year. Two-factor authentication use has dropped from 44% to 38%, while 49% of companies use firewalls.
Nearly four in five executives recognise the possible impact of cyber threats, but this does not always translate into action. Mārtiņš Kaļķis, head of cybersecurity development at the LMT group, says the root of the problem is a chronic shortage of time and specialised IT capacity, not ignorance.
Lack of backup connections and IT staff
A continuous internet connection is critically important for 73% of companies, yet 35% have no backup connection and 22% of executives do not know whether one exists. In almost one in four companies (23%), the manager handles IT matters alongside their other duties, while 15% of companies depend on a single IT specialist.
When choosing IT solutions, 70% of executives name simplicity as the main criterion, 63% cite easy integration, and 62% want fully automatically managed services.
Plans for the coming year
Within the next year, some companies plan to invest in staff training (28%) and in organising data backups (28%), while 27% intend to carry out a cybersecurity audit. Kaļķis advises against postponing security measures and, where internal resources fall short, recommends entrusting daily protection to professional service providers.
The survey was conducted in July 2026 using computer-assisted web interviews. It involved 507 company executives and decision-makers in Latvia.
