Exploit: Ransomware
Boardriders: Action sports retailer
Risk to Small Business: 2.222 = Severe: A ransomware attack crippled Boardriders’ operations, forcing several of their online stores to close and preventing employees from accessing any of the company’s IT. The event occurred during the last week of October, leaving the business with nearly two weeks of lost sales, productivity, and inventory. Until the ransomware was cleared from the network, employees were asked not to even turn on their computers. This productivity loss is one of the many hidden costs of ransomware attacks that are becoming increasingly prevalent as hackers look to extract large, single-payment sums from their victims.
Individual Risk: No personal information was compromised in the breach.
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: The costs of a ransomware attack are enormous. Whether companies pay the ransom or restore a system from backups, the immediate expense can cripple a business, and the long-term repercussions are a serious deterrent to profitability. In this case, Boardriders offered consumers deep discounts to entice them to return to the store, and their inventory and productivity losses will further erode profitability.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.
