The majority of industrial organizations estimate their financial losses caused by cyberattacks at “over $1,000,000, while almost one in four report losses exceeding $5,000,000, and for some, it surpasses $10,000,000.”
These findings were revealed in a joint study “conducted by Kaspersky and VDC Research.”
A recent joint study effort by Kaspersky and VDC Research titled “Securing OT with Purpose-built Solutions”, provides an in-depth “analysis of the current state of Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity.”
Based on a survey of over 250 decision-makers “from energy, utilities, manufacturing, transportation and other sectors, the study offers insights into the key business and technical trends affecting industrial organizations, as well as the most effective strategies being implemented to address these challenges.”
The research underscores that the financial impact of “an OT cybersecurity breach is both complex and multifaceted.”
Organizations must consider a range of costs, “including lost revenue opportunities, unplanned production downtime, scrap and loss of work-in-progress inventory, and damage to equipment or property.”
Beyond these costs, the total financial burden also “encompasses direct breach-related expenses such as incident response—whether handled internally or by third-party providers— and ransom payments.”
When accounting for all these factors, nearly “25% of survey respondents estimated that each cyberattack could result in damages exceeding $5 million over a two-year period.”
The distribution of these costs varies significantly “across organizations and incidents but generally impacts multiple departments and influences both revenue and profitability.”
The report details that incident response accounts “for approximately 21.7% of total breach-related expenses, followed by lost revenue at 19.4%, unplanned downtime at 16.9%, equipment or property repair and replacement at 16.8%, ransom payments at 12%, and scrap or loss of work-in-progress inventory at 11.9%.”
Notably, unplanned downtime emerges as one of “the most significant costs – 70% of respondents reported that such outages typically last between four to 24 hours.”
These disruptions can lead to “substantial revenue losses, internal process bottlenecks and diminished customer confidence—highlighting the critical importance of robust OT cybersecurity measures.”
Kaspersky offers a distinctive ecosystem for OT customers, “combining enterprise-grade technologies, expert knowledge and extensive expertise.”
At the heart of this ecosystem is Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity (KICS), a native XDR platform “designed for protection of critical infrastructure and industrial enterprises.”
KICS provides end-to-end “infrastructure coverage, safe response measures, centralized asset management, risk assessment and auditing capabilities, while also supporting scalable security across complex, distributed environments through a unified platform.”
Founded in 1971, VDC Research provides “in-depth insights to technology vendors, end users and investors across the globe.”
As a market research and consulting firm, VDC’s coverage “of AutoID, enterprise mobility, industrial automation and loT and embedded technologies is among the most advanced in the industry, helping its clients make critical decisions with confidence.”
Offering syndicated reports and custom consultation, its methodologies consistently provide “accurate forecasts and unmatched thought leadership for deeply technical markets.”
Located in Southborough, Massachusetts, VDC maintains close personal relationships with clients, delivering “an attention to detail and a unique perspective that is second to none.”