What are the visible and hidden costs of a cyberattack?

In 2024, ANSSI handled 4,386 security incidents, representing a 15% increase compared with the previous year. France is one of the countries most heavily targeted by cybercriminals worldwide: it ranks sixth globally for ransomware attack detections and fourth for malware-related threats.

The consequences of these attacks are often underestimated. What are the visible and hidden costs of a cyberattack for your organisation?

The visible costs of a cyberattack

A successful cyberattack immediately generates several direct financial costs. First, in the case of a ransomware attack, some organisations choose to pay a ransom to cybercriminals in the hope of recovering their data. This practice is strongly discouraged: not only does it encourage cybercrime, but cybercriminals may later demand a second ransom by threatening to publicly disclose the stolen sensitive data.

Securing compromised data also generates costs related to identifying, isolating, and restoring affected systems. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach in France reached €4.2 million in 2024.

Organisations are legally required to notify customers when their data has been compromised. This involves drafting a clear and legally compliant communication, followed by large-scale distribution to ensure all affected individuals are informed. In many cases, a dedicated hotline must also be established to answer customer concerns and provide reassurance.

Depending on the scale of the attack and the nature of the organisation, it may also be necessary to establish a crisis communication team and involve a public relations agency.

Once the incident has been contained, technical investigations must be carried out to identify the vulnerabilities exploited by the attackers, assess the true extent of the compromise, and detect any potential backdoors left within the system.

In the event of cybersecurity failures, authorities may impose significant financial penalties. For example, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) allows fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever amount is higher. Organisations may also need to undertake regulatory compliance work to demonstrate corrective actions and avoid more severe sanctions.

Beyond compliance requirements, organisations must strengthen their cybersecurity mechanisms to avoid facing similar situations again. This requires conducting audits and investing in cybersecurity solutions.

Finally, legal costs must also be considered for two reasons: firstly, to handle potential lawsuits from dissatisfied customers or partners whose data has been compromised; secondly, to pursue legal action against cybercriminals or potentially negligent third parties in the event of a supply chain or indirect attack.

The hidden consequences of a cyberattack

A cyberattack can also generate less visible but equally damaging consequences. In many cases, ransomware or DDoS attacks can force organisations to suspend operations for several hours or even several days. For companies whose business relies heavily on digital channels, this results in immediate revenue loss.

The reputational impact of a cyberattack should never be underestimated. In the eyes of the public, organisations affected by cyberattacks are often perceived as having failed to protect themselves adequately. As a result, customers may lose trust, believing their personal data was not properly safeguarded. The organisation’s brand image is therefore directly affected, potentially leading to sharp declines in customer retention and revenue.

The same applies in B2B sectors, where business partners may decide to terminate collaborations due to concerns over the security of sensitive shared data.

If the organisation is publicly listed, brand value may depreciate significantly and share prices can fall rapidly due to both investor concerns and media exposure surrounding the incident.

In the case of a data breach, cybercriminals may also gain access to the company’s intellectual property, including patents, industrial secrets, and development plans. This information may later be sold to competitors, resulting in the loss of competitive advantage and undermining years of research and investment.

Cyberattacks also affect employee morale. In the event of data theft or deletion, employees may see their work disappear entirely. Some may feel personally responsible for the incident, particularly within technical teams, while others may become concerned about the confidentiality of their own personal information. This can create a climate of tension, mistrust, and suspicion, potentially leading to long-term disengagement or resignations.

The cumulative impact of all these consequences can ultimately threaten the survival of a business. One recent example involved a company specialising in ERP solutions and e-commerce services. A ransomware attack successfully reached the environment hosting customer data and fully encrypted it. The company never recovered from the attack, and judicial liquidation was declared a few months later.

The consequences of a cyberattack can therefore extend far beyond simple data loss. Deploying appropriate cybersecurity solutions has now become a matter of survival. End-to-end encryption remains one of the fundamental pillars of this protection, alongside securing devices and remote access.