A single distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on a company’s online resources may cost up to $444,000, according to new research by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International.
The total losses comprised a range of problems caused by DDoS attacks. 61 percent of respondents of victims lost access to vital business information, with 38 percent unable to carry out their core business. 33 percent reported the loss of business opportunities or contracts.
The incidents also caused indirect harm, with 29 percent of the attacks negatively impacting the company’s credit rating and 26 percent upping the company’s insurance premiums. 38 percent of companies suffered reputational damage as a result of the denial of service.
The costs also included that of remediating the consequences of the incident: 65 percent of companies had to consult with IT security specialists and 46 percent had to rack up hefty billable hours getting lawyers involved. 49 percent paid to modify their IT infrastructure.
Denial of service attacks make a machine or network resource unavailable to users, interrupting services of a host connected to the internet.
Eugene Vigovsky, Head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection, Kaspersky Lab, commented: "A successful DDoS attack can damage business-critical services, leading to serious consequences for the company. For example, the recent attacks on Scandinavian banks…caused a few days of disruption to online services and also interrupted the processing of bank card transactions, a frequent problem in cases like this.
"That’s why companies must consider DDoS protection as an integral part of their overall IT security policy. It’s just as important as protecting against malware, targeted attacks, data leaks and the like."
