eye with purple and blue technology collage The finance sector was the focus of 19 percent of all attacks, a report says. (Photo: Shutterstock)

(Bloomberg) — Big banks and other financial firms spend as much as $3,000 per employee to defend computer networks from cyber criminals, a survey found, as the industry remains the primary target of such attacks.

That would translate to about $750 million annually for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and HSBC Holdings Plc each, based on their 2018 headcount figures. For Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. it would mean some $600 million each.

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