How cybersecurity threats can affect your organization

Cyberattacks can have devastating consequences on your organization’s data and security systems. These online attacks can spread malware, disrupt systems, and steal sensitive and valuable information. Learn how you and your IT department can strengthen your cybersecurity and physical security systems against evolving cyber threats.

CHECKLIST

 

Three common cybersecurity threats

Cybercriminals can have many motivations, but money often drives cyberattacks. Some of the most common threats are phishing, spyware, and ransomware.

What is phishing?

With phishing attacks, cybercriminals impersonate a trusted source to trick people into revealing sensitive information. SEO poisoning is a subtype of phishing that tricks users by pushing fake vendor sites to the top of search results. These spoofed pages lure unsuspecting users into downloading malware-infected software, putting your organization at serious risk. Always download from official websites and verify the file’s integrity to stay safe.

What is spyware?

Some attackers use malicious software known as spyware. They can install it on your computer or phone to steal passwords. Cybercriminals can also create fake websites that mimic bank accounts or online retailers. These phishing sites trick you into entering your credit card information or account passwords, compromising your cybersecurity.

 

 

What is ransomware?

Ransomware attacks are increasingly costly and disruptive. Once installed by attackers, this type of malware blocks access to critical data or systems until a ransom is paid. Ransomware groups often use multiple threats to force payment. They might block access to data, threaten to release sensitive information, or disrupt services with denial of service (DOS) attacks.

BLOG

 

The hidden cost of cyberattacks

Cyberattacks can have a significant financial impact. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, ransomware will cost organizations approximately $265 billion USD annually by 2031. Likewise, an IBM report found that the average cost of a data breach rose to $4.84 million CAD for Canadian companies in 2025, up from $4.66 million in 2024.

Even in cases where cybercriminals aren’t looking for financial gain, organizations can face other repercussions:

• Legal, regulatory, reputational, and technical recovery costs
• Reduced productivity due to disrupted software
• Operations stopped by network or website downtime (caused by distributed DDoS attacks)
• Expenses to fix damaged devices or websites
• Loss of customer trust

Long-term impacts of data breaches

Data breaches create costs that linger long after cleanup. Some of the heaviest expenses can land months—even years—later.

Fines are often the first of these long-term consequences. The numbers don’t lie: in 2025, 25% of affected organizations paid between $100,001 and 250,000 USD, and 23% paid $250,000 or more. That’s the kind of money that could have gone toward establishing a stronger security posture from the outset.

Essentially, organizations are carrying double the cost after a breach. They pay the penalty, then end up investing in stronger protection to regain customer trust and prevent the next incident from happening.

Other costs accrue quietly over time. Some regulations, such as NIS2, allow negligent companies to be named and shamed. The resulting reputational damage can erode customer loyalty. Regulators may also be able to seek a court order to stop a CEO or other responsible person from performing management functions, hindering a company’s normal operations. Another risk is higher employee turnover following a breach, which adds recruitment and training expenses.

These costs can last for years, especially for high-regulation environments, usually peaking at the two-year mark. In low-regulation areas, most costs occur within six to nine months.

Recovery costs also depend on the systems you’ve already got in place. Security solutions that are built on open, scalable architecture tend to be easier and less costly to update after a breach. Proprietary systems often make the same improvements more complex and expensive. That’s why it pays to choose your security partners and vendors carefully, with an eye on how well their solutions scale and adapt over time.

Hub

 

How IT is stepping up cybersecurity investment

Connected security systems open new possibilities, but they also raise the stakes by giving attackers more potential entry points. According to our 2026 State of Physical Security Report, 41.7% of enterprise organizations saw an increase in physical or cyber incidents in the past year. For IT teams, that figure shows how closely cybersecurity and physical security are now linked.

It's why investment is climbing. Our report confirms that 47% of IT respondents see cybersecurity tools as a top priority in 2026. We also found that 42.4% of enterprise respondents now involve IT in their physical security purchase decisions, up from previous years.

This shift is reshaping cyber threat management and cyber threat prevention. IT brings the standards, governance, and tooling that organizations already rely on. Physical security teams bring the operational expertise. Together, they build resilience that holds up across every connected device on the network.

The bottom line

Cyberattacks can be costly, time-consuming, and damaging to your organization’s reputation, and they can disrupt operations for years. Thankfully, a proactive approach to cyber threat management can minimize your risk.

Here are some cybersecurity best practices that can help:

1. Understand the threat landscape. Do your best to keep up with evolving threats. Then educate your employees on cybersecurity dos and don’ts.
2. Conduct a cybersecurity risk assessment and asset inventory. Make a list of the computers, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, users, and types of data at your organization and their different levels of accessibility. This will help you decide on the level of cybersecurity protection, depending on the asset or individual.
3. Stay on top of system updates and patching. Consider automated cybersecurity monitoring tools that alert you to software or firmware updates or push them to your system once they’re ready.
4. Use multi-factor authentication. Don’t rely on passwords alone, as these can easily be stolen or shared.
5. Plan for breach recovery. Having a cybersecurity incident response plan in place is essential so you can recover quickly in the event of a breach.

By working closely with trusted cybersecurity partners and choosing solutions that are secured by design, your organization can stay up to date and build resilience against evolving cyberattacks and threats.