Cybersecurity Challenges in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Scoping Review

Mujtaba, Awan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9055-2869, Alam, Abu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5958-7905 and Kamran, Muhammad (2025) Cybersecurity Challenges in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Scoping Review. Journal of Cyber Security and Risk, 2025 (3). pp. 89-102. doi:10.63180/jcsra.thestap.2025.3.7

Preview

Text 15581 Mujtaba, A et al (2025) Cybersecurity Challenges in Small and Medium Enterprises A Scoping Review.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are one of the most important engines to add to the global economy by providing financial benefits to the human population, in the form of businesses (90%) and employment ships (60%). With the increase in the ratio of cybercrimes, SMEs have been overlooked in terms of cybersecurity measures, leaving them unprepared to deal with the increasing frequency, sophistication, and destructiveness of cyber challenges. This scoping review is designed to address the various cybersecurity threats to SMEs and their possible overcome. In this review, various databases such as Google Scholar, IEEE, Elsevier, Science Direct, and Taylor & Francis online were utilized in exploring the reported literature, and searched under various terminologies, in combinations and separately. Overall, 30 research articles were found to be most relevant to the respective topic, from which 20 unique themes were identified and categorized in novel findings. A framework was proposed for this scoping review by performing data analysis, which led us to find 20 different types of cyber challenges in SMEs. These challenges were further standardized into four classes. In this review, the main challenges to attaining cybersecurity resilience in SMEs are found to be a lack of awareness, unsuitable guidelines for SMEs, limited cybersecurity Knowledge, and constrained financial resources.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Barriers; Challenges; Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity Threat; Small and medium enterprises
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > HD61 Risk in industry. Risk management H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Kamila Niekoraniec
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2025 12:03
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2025 12:15
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15581

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record