The growing risk of cyber security to attract hundreds of billion dollars: Infosys

Infosys said the potential risk in brand value of a data breach to the world's 100 most valuable brands could amount to as much as 223 billion dollars. The joint cybersecurity and brand value impact report titled ''Invisible Tech. Real Impact,'' examines long-term impact of data breaches on value of the world's top brands across sectors.

Infosys and Interbrand found that industries like technology, financial services and automotive might suffer a higher overall brand value at risk from data breaches whereas luxury brands and consumer goods face greater value at risk as a percentage of their net income.A joint cybersecurity and brand value impact report by Infosys and Interbrand on Tuesday said the top-100 most-valued brands could face up to USD 223 billion of their brands value from a possible data breach. The report did not name the top-100 brands.

Of the total possible value erosion, technology brands could lose the most up to USD 29 billion brand value risk, followed by consumer goods up to USD 5 billion in brand value risk, automotive up to USD 4.2 billion, financial services up to USD 2.6 billion, and luxury goods up to USD 2.4 billion.

Vishal Salvi, chief information security officer and head (cyber security practices) at Infosys said that cybersecurity for long was seen as a cost of doing business. “However, in this digital age, where a company’s reputation is based on its ability to protect customer data and establish digital trust, cybersecurity is becoming a business differentiator.”

Ameya Kapnadak of Interbrand India said there is a fundamental shift in how brands engage with their customers. As the lines between physical and virtual worlds increasingly blur, and brands rely more and more on the digital world to create unique experiences for customers, data breaches have the potential to dent the core of the brand’s relationship with its customers.