Pierluigi Paganini
August 21, 2019
A cybersecurity issue can cause unexpected costs in several different areas. In addition to the monetary costs associated with things like lost productivity and improving network security to reduce the likelihood of future incidents, affected companies have to deal with the costs tied to reduced customer trust and damaged reputations.
It’s not always easy or straightforward to pinpoint the overall costs of recovering from a cyberattack. The totals also vary by industry. However, here’s some research that illuminates the various financial impacts for these four sectors.
Health care is particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Criminals are aware that facilities typically handle large numbers of records containing exceptionally in-demand information that is 10 times more valuable on the black market than a credit card number. A report from Carbon Black showed that two-thirds of respondents said cyberattacks had gotten more sophisticated over the past year, too.
A victimized health care organization spends an average of $1.4 million to recover from a cyber incident. It also doesn’t help that many health care organizations are not promptly aware of cyberattacks. Experts say that most organizations don’t discover active cyberattacks for at least 18 months.
The longer an attack progresses without detection, the more costly the damage will likely be to fix. And, the costs go up if the health care facility does not have a cybersecurity response plan to use after an attack gets identified.
As people have growing opportunities to shop online, the chances for hackers to carry out lucrative cyberattacks in the retail sector also go up. Statistics from 2016 showed that the average cost per compromised retail record was $172. Some of the costs relate to hiring consultants to get to the bottom of breaches and paying fines to payment processors or credit card brands for insufficient security.
People are becoming less tolerant of retailers that have widescale data breaches. Additionally, the convenience and choice offered by online shopping increase the likelihood that if a person stops doing business with one retailer, they can probably find what they need elsewhere.
The manufacturing industry was not always known to embrace connected technology, but that’s changing. Many brands recognize that keeping their machines connected to the internet can assist them with tracking trends, avoiding downtime and more.
One of the reasons why it’s tough to calculate a straightforward figure for cyberattacks is that there are so many related costs that may not be immediately apparent. For example, manufacturing companies can expect a cyberattack itself to cost about $1.7 million. But, other expenses can quickly stack up, including those related to lost productivity, customer churn and the need to hire extra staff members to help with cleaning up after a cyberattack.
Analysts also say that the manufacturing industry is extremely attractive to hackers. In addition to planning attacks that cause supply chain disruptions, cybercriminals may target manufacturing entities as part of nation-state attacks. Although those make up a small percentage of overall attacks, they took 500 times longer to resolve in 2017 than the previous year.
The very nature of the financial industry and the money it handles make the sector ripe for a cyberattack. It also tops the list of annual cybercrime costs at about $18 million.
But, the costs also vary depending on the type of attack a financial brand suffers. A report published collaboratively by two organizations showed that the average cost of a malware attack for a financial brand was $825,000. But, the expenses climb dramatically for a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The expenses of those incidents are approximately $1.8 million.
The numbers of attacks on the financial industry are going up, too. Research associated with entities in the United Kingdom confirmed a five-fold increase of reported hacks on financial institutions in 2018 compared to 2017. That trend suggests that financial institutions have to be especially vigilant to protect against future attacks. Doing so often requires substantial financial resources.
This list gives industry-specific snapshots of cybersecurity costs associated with particular industries. But, even sectors that are not on this list should be concerned about potential losses. Many cybersecurity experts agree that the expenses of cyberattacks, in general, are steadily going up.
The expenses and effort required for resolution are also impacted by the growing complexity of cybercriminals’ tactics.
Dealing with the initial aftermath of an attack is only the beginning. Companies also have to assure customers that they’ve taken steps to prevent other problems — and stay committed to that promise.
All of these aspects require significant financial investments, as well as a recognition that cyberattacks are genuine threats to tackle.
Kayla Matthews is a technology and cybersecurity writer, and the owner of ProductivityBytes.com. To learn more about Kayla and her recent projects, visit her About Me page.
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