Cyber-Attacks Now Cost Businesses an Average of $52,000 Each

New research from the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2026 shows that 29% of organisations worldwide experienced at least one successful cyber-attack in the past 12 months, with affected businesses facing an average of four incidents. The financial toll was significant, with the average cost per incident reaching $52,000 globally, and as high as $134,138 in Italy. Beyond the direct costs, organisations reported an average of 32.8 hours of downtime following an attack, disrupting services, employees and customers alike.

The human cost was also notable, with 69% of victims reporting employee burnout, high stress or a toxic workplace culture in the aftermath of an incident. Keven Knight, CEO of Talion Cyber Security, said the findings should be a wake-up call for business leaders, noting that downtime translates directly into lost revenue and operational disruption that boards cannot afford to ignore.

In response, businesses surveyed are investing an average of $51,000 a year into cyber resilience, including employee training, additional security staff and new tools. Around a third of organisations are now tying executive pay or performance metrics to cybersecurity outcomes, signalling a shift toward treating cyber risk as a core business priority rather than a purely technical issue.