The cost of a data breach is higher than you think. It's not just about the money you lose, but also the time and resources it takes to recover from an attack. Plus, there's the damage to your reputation and brand. If this sounds like something that might affect your company, then read on for more information about how much financial data breaches cost companies—and what they can do about it.
1. Financial data breaches are on the rise.
The amount of money organizations pay in fines, legal fees and other costs related to data breaches has increased every year since 2013. In 2018 alone, the average cost per breach was $3 million--that's more than double what it was just five years ago!
But what about all those folks who say it's not about the money? Well...it is about the money for them too. Each year there are over 4 million identity theft victims in the United States alone; with each victim costing an average of $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses like credit monitoring services or lawyers' fees (not to mention time lost dealing with issues).
2. It's not just about money.
The cost of a data breach is not just about money. It's also about the loss of trust, customer confidence, reputation and business. Data breaches can take up to six months to detect and even longer for companies to recover from--and that's if they recover at all. The average cost of a breach was $4 million in 2018 according to IBM; however, this figure is likely much higher because many organizations don't disclose their breaches until after they've been discovered by law enforcement or other third parties (so we don't know exactly how much they paid).
3. The costs of data breaches are significant.
Costs can be even higher for major corporations like Equifax or Uber; after both suffered massive breaches last year, their respective shareholders filed lawsuits against the executives who led them at the time (former CEO Richard Smith for Equifax; former CEO Travis Kalanick for Uber). These suits allege that negligence led directly to those companies' failures--and if successful could result in some pretty hefty payouts from their former bosses' pockets!
A good way to avoid a breach is by taking steps to secure your financial data and keeping records up-to-date. You can also protect yourself by using strong passwords and not sharing them with anyone else.
Disclosure: For Change Financial only recommends products we would use ourselves. All opinions expressed here are our own. This page may contain affiliate links and we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Read our full privacy policy on our website.
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