A website and online presence are more important for your company now than ever before. Unfortunately, the increased reliance and use of technology by businesses have led to a major increase in data breaches and hacks. There are many different kinds of attacks that hackers can try to pull off, and all can hurt your business.
Thankfully, there are a variety of things you can do, such as using network monitoring software, that can protect your company. However, these methods aren’t always perfect and it is still possible to be compromised. But just what are the negative repercussions your company will face if your site or company is hacked? What will be affected and how will you recover?
With all of that in mind, this blog post is going to look at several negative effects a hack can have on your business.
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It Can Put Your Files and Information At Risk
Of course, one of the biggest risks and negative effects of a hack is that it can put your files and information at risk. While making your files and information public is one thing, they can also be completely stolen and deleted from your site, which could be disastrous if there is no backup in place. It is terrible knowing someone is in possession of your companies information and files.
However, in addition to potentially making your company information public, the data and information of your customers could also be at risk. Hackers could find out, leak or sell a wide range of customer information such as credit card numbers, addresses, emails, password and a variety of other things.
It Will Hurt Your Reputation and Wallet
Another major effect of a hack will likely be a hit to your reputation. Your current customers are likely to turn their back on you after a hack. And potential new customers will likely steer clear of your company because of the knowledge that you got hacked. You will probably get a lot of bad press and people will probably start seeing your company in a bad light.
While this is unfair, as you can’t control whether or not you get hacked, it is still the case. While your reputation will take a hit, so will your wallet. A data breach can cost your company a ton of money.
In fact, in many countries around the world, a hack or data breach will cost a company millions of dollars, on average. Some companies can absorb that loss, while others certainly cannot. A data breach at the wrong time has the potential to completely destroy your company.
It Can Ruin Your Search Ranking
Many people don’t think about the effect that a hack can have on the search ranking, but it can be a major factor. Once Google or another search engine recognizes that your site or company has been compromised, your site will cease being ranked. This is very tough as a high ranking can help a wide range of companies get more traffic and customers.
Getting these top positions back after you are back isn’t always easy or automatic either. The size and duration of your hack or downtime could also have an effect on how far you fall. While building back up your SEO efforts is certainly possible, it’s unfortunate that a hack can lead to such an unfortunate drop in traffic.
In conclusion, we hope that this article has been able to help you see and understand some of the negative effects a hack can have on your business. Your security is of the utmost importance, so be sure to do everything you can to protect your company from cybercrime.
“Prevention is Better Than Cure”
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