Only half of companies take DDoS seriously

DDoS attacks can have a serious effect on businesses, yet according to a new survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International only 50 percent of companies regard countering DDoS attacks as an essential part of their IT security.

This is despite the fact that the average cost of a DDoS attack to small and medium businesses is put at $52,000. For larger companies the average is $444,000.

The damage isn't only financial, 38 percent of businesses believe that a DDoS attack has damaged their company's reputation. 29 percent reported that a DDoS attack damaged their credit rating, and 26 percent reported an increase in their insurance premiums as a result.

How seriously the threat of attacks are taken does vary by industry too. 60 percent of financial institutions, energy companies and utility services are conscious of the need of protection against DDoS attacks.

However, countermeasures against DDoS were named as important by 53 percent of telecom companies, 50 percent of IT businesses, 41 percent of e-commerce and only 38 percent of media companies. This is despite the media being one of the four most frequently attacked sectors.

Size matters too, only 38 percent of small businesses consider protection against DDoS attacks an important component of IT security, compared to 60 percent of big companies.

Eugene Vigovsky, head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection says, "Even if a company does not have a public-facing website, its finances and reputation can be seriously affected by DDoS attacks. It is known that DDoS can be organized not only to incapacitate online services or for ransom, but also to mask other cybercriminal activities such as targeted attacks on the company to gain access to its confidential data. Therefore, protection against DDoS attacks is not reinsurance, but a logical precaution important for any company that has business processes dependent on Internet services. To provide this protection, companies should use specialized solutions from vendors who have a wealth of experience and expertise in combating cyberthreats".

You can find out more in the full report which is available on the Kaspersky Lab website.

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