What Can a Security Incident Cost Us?
While some claim millions from a single incident, the numbers vary when assessing the cost of system compromises. One thing that is universally agreed upon is that the published numbers are only a fraction of the real costs involved. Anticipated credibility loss causes reluctance in reporting security breaches and their associated costs. Only you can assess what downtime, damage, and data loss could equal in dollars for your organization. Some organizations cannot even quantify the loss of a compromise. How do you assess years of research and projected income loss due to a trade secret compromise? How bad would the hit be if your clientele lost confidence in your company, resulting from a publicized security incident?
For all the unknowns, there are certainties in this equation:
- The problem is not going away.
- There are more "tools" freely available to non-skilled assailants than ever before, which drastically increases the number of attackers in the wild.
- Networks are being scanned for vulnerabilities at an alarming rate.
- Your organization's money is better spent on prevention rather than using it to conduct damage control after a breach.
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