We live in an era of rapid digital change where state-of-the-art technology has made formerly complex tasks more straightforward and quicker. Because of the convenience of online and mobile banking, some people no longer even bother with traditional banks. Every time we leap forward in technology and cyber security, criminal organisations and individual hackers respond by developing ever-more-advanced methods of counterattack. With Cloud storage in the picture, organisations prefer storing their client's actual data on the server rather than storing them in a file room in a physical form. As a result, Cybercrime is now the most widespread and rapidly expanding illegal sector.

As per a report from Hiscox, companies from the energy, financial services, manufacturing, technology, and pharmaceutical sectors lose over $1.8 billion to Cybercrime. [1]

This article will dig deep into the most effective ways. Cybercrime affects organisations worldwide.

In what specific ways do cyberattacks damage your company?

When cybercriminals strike, a business may grind to a standstill.

Power outages are usually the result of cyberattacks. The risk exists that your staff will be locked out of their computers and unable to access any of the company's vital information. The severity of the assault determines the extent of the outage and productivity loss, which may range from a slight inconvenience to a complete shutdown of operations. In addition, your IT team's routine work stops while they concentrate on cleaning, tracing the attack's origins, and repairing the vulnerabilities.

Increased Cost

Companies need to shell out serious cash to safeguard themselves from cyber attacks and online thieves. Firms have to incur numerous outlays from Cybersecurity technology and expertise to Insurance premiums.

Ransomware is a severe financial risk because it may block employees from using IT systems until a ransom is paid to a hacker. According to Hiscox, more than 6% of companies pay ransom to restore their servers.

Additionally, businesses have to hire law firms and other experts to deal with and remain law-abiding with cybersecurity regulations. Furthermore, if they are under cybercriminals' attack, they may incur additional costs in the form of legal expenses and damages from civil actions filed against the business.

Operational Disruption

Cyberattacks not only cause direct financial losses to businesses but also can have unintended consequences, such as substantial disruptions in operations that may lead to a loss of income.

Infecting computer systems with malware that deletes high-value information or placing malicious code on a server that limits access to your website are just two examples of the many ways cybercriminals may hamper a business' standard operations.

So-called "hacktivists," who have broken into the computer networks of government agencies or multinational businesses to expose a perceived injustice or enhance transparency, embrace disrupting business as usual as their preferred weapon.

Reputational Damage

It's hard to put a price tag on the damage to a company's reputation after a major breach. If a company's IT has already been breached at least once, customers and suppliers may hesitate to entrust their private data to them. Over the years, several market giants have faced a hit on their reputation from hackers.

Your company's credibility might take a hit if a data breach were to result in sensitive client information being utilized for illegal financial activity, identity theft, or selling on the black market.

Almost 500 million customer data were compromised and severely impacted in the Yahoo and Marriott breaches.

Lost Revenue

One of the critical impacts of Cyberattack results is a sudden drop in the business's revenue. For a company with a target audience of cautious customers, having a data breach or a cyber security breach will result in customers shifting elsewhere to safeguard their personal data.

The confidence of customers, brand loyalty, investors, and the company's image as a whole are several damage points of Cyberattacks. If your consumers and investors have suffered losses as a result of the Cyberattack, or if they believe they will continue to suffer losses if they continue to associate with your brand, they may no longer want to do business with you.

Stolen Digital Assests

For a company to succeed in this competitive world, drafting and launching new products is a must. A company's product designs, technologies, and go-to-market strategies are often among its most valuable assets, which gets tempered majorly under a Cyberattack.

Ways to prevent cyber-attacks

Cyberattacks are real, and companies must take serious steps to safeguard them. These steps include:

• Adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity

• A multi-layer cybersecurity plan

• Encrypting entire data

• Recurring backing up of the entire data server

Defending a company's network against cybercriminals is an expensive task with potential consequences for the business's consumer base. There will be an increasing burden on firms to remain ahead of the more clever cybercriminals.

Archlight solutions is among the leading reliable providers of cyber security, data privacy, and risk management in the UAE and USA markets. We are primarily famous for providing Cyber security, data privacy, and certification to clients from various demographics. Reach out to us today to ensure a secure business.

📩 mohammed@archlightsolutions.com

📞 +971 50 2960968