NZTech says that it is time for the government to put funding into educating Kiwis about how to avoid being a victim of cyber crime.

About 87 per cent of Kiwis concede security of their personal information online is important but 40 per cent say safeguarding their information is inconvenient, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.

As New Zealand businesses operate within an increasingly digital environment, businesses, governments and groups are coming under a growing number of threats from cyber-attacks.

Virtually a third of New Zealanders don't regularly check the privacy settings on their social media accounts.

Roughly the same number of people do not use two-factor authentication when logging into an online account.

Organisations are needing to bring cyber-security to the forefront of their digital strategy to ensure they are operating at their peak and to protect both customers and staff, Graeme says.

NZTech is staging the biggest cyber risk summit in Wellington next week on February 24.

Summit delegates will hear experts and peers at the coal face of cyber security about the realities of cyber in the modern business environment.

'Ransomware has become the biggest threat, used by criminals to lock up people's systems and data and then demand a ransom in return for their release," says Graeme.

In the United States, agencies including the FBI have warned their healthcare system is facing an increased and imminent threat of cybercrime.

'Cybercriminals are unleashing a series of extortion attempts in the new frontier of crime aimed at locking up hospital information systems.

'Kiwi businesses and organisations must act immediately to block future cyber hacks which is now costing New Zealand vast sums every year and the covid pandemic has increased New Zealand's reliance on digital devices and the internet.”