Financial Impact of a Ransomware Attack

Ransomware attacks can have devastating effects on businesses worldwide. When it comes to the financial impacts, most people point directly to the cost of the ransom demand. However, the ransomware attack impact can extend far beyond this. It could take companies years to recover from the loss, and some companies never recover at all.

What Is a Ransomware Attack?

This is a type of cyberattack in which hackers encrypt your files or lock you out of your system until you pay them a ransom. One common type of ransomware attack is known as “crypto ransomware” because it uses cryptography to encrypt your files.

Ransomware attacks commonly involve company websites, but social media handles are also at risk. Malicious parties often take over social media accounts by tricking people into providing their reset password information or the codes to bypass two-factor authentication.

How Does a Ransomware Attack Work?

Ransomware is a complex process that takes hackers a lot of planning to pull off. It generally follows these three stages:

1. The infection: This is when the attacker gains access to your system, usually through phishing emails or malicious websites. Once they’re in, they will deploy the ransomware.
2. The encryption: This is when the ransomware starts encrypting your files. You won’t be able to access them anymore.
3. The ransom demand: This is when the attacker demands you pay them a ransom, usually in a cryptocurrency, to get your files back. They often give you a deadline and threaten to delete your files if you don’t pay up.

What Are the Consequences of Ransomware Attack Incidents?

The consequences of a ransomware attack can be far-reaching and devastating. Here are some of the most common ones:

1. Your business could lose customers: If your customer data becomes compromised in a ransomware attack, you could lose their trust—and their business.
2. You could face fines: If you’re subject to data protection laws, like GDPR, and you suffer a ransomware attack that results in the loss of customer data, you could pay thousands or millions in fines.
3. Your business could go bankrupt: If you can’t recover from the financial losses of a ransomware attack, your business could become insolvent.
4. You could lose your competitive edge: If you have to take your systems offline for an extended period to recover from a ransomware attack, you could lose your competitive advantage.

What Are the Unique Challenges of Cyber Attack on Financial Sector Companies?

The financial sector is a prime target for ransomware attacks because of the sensitive nature of the data financial institutions hold. If customer data is compromised, it could have serious consequences, like continued incidents of identity theft or fraud.

In addition, financial sector companies are often subject to strict regulations, such as GDPR or Sarbanes-Oxley. If they suffer a ransomware attack and their customer data is compromised, data privacy organizations and government agencies could hold them partially responsible or negligent.

Fintech companies, such as online banks and payment processors, have carved out a valuable niche, especially among younger customers. However, building trust and credibility remains an ongoing challenge. Breaches worsen this.

How Much Does a Ransomware Attack Cost?

The cost of a ransomware attack can vary depending on the size and type of business. The extent of the damage is also a contributing factor. However, it’s not uncommon for companies to pay millions of dollars in ransom demands. In fact, one Forbes article reports the average ransomware remediation cost at $2.09 million for U.S. companies in 2020. Compare this to $761,000 in 2019.

To make matters worse, hackers do not always restore data, even after paying the ransom. One ransomware attack report found that, on average, hackers only restore about 65% of data. To add to this, companies have no guarantee that hackers won’t then leak stolen data online or sell it to other malicious parties.

The financial consequences of a ransomware attack also extend far beyond the attack:

• If the company pulls the funds from corporate reserves, it loses the capital necessary for business operations or growth.
• If the company took out a loan to pay the ransom, it must repay the loan plus interest.
• If the company’s insurer pays the bill, insurance premiums will likely increase exponentially.
• The longer the downtime during the ransomware attack, the more likely it is that the company could lose customers to competitors.
• Depending on how hackers gained access, the company could lose customer trust and public confidence.
• If consumers decide to sue a company for the breach and its result on their finances or privacy, costs could climb to tens of millions.

How Can You Protect Your Business From a Ransomware Attack?

The good news is that ransomware attacks are not inevitable. While the individual cost of ransomware trends upwards, the number of attacks has trended downward. From the summer of 2021 to 2020, 62% of businesses reported no ransomware attacks. Here are a few things you can do to protect your business:

• Educate your employees about cybersecurity risks and how to spot them.
• Make sure you have a robust backup and disaster recovery plan in place.
• Invest in security technologies, like endpoint protection and intrusion detection systems.
• Regularly test your security controls to make sure they’re working correctly.

The Bottom Line

Even the most well-protected businesses can fall victim to a ransomware attack. That’s why it’s crucial to create a backup and disaster recovery process that makes paying a ransom unnecessary. It’s also essential to have a crisis communication plan ready to handle potential consumer backlash and bad publicity in the media.