Cyber security report: Hacking attacks on UK businesses cost investors £42bn

Risks relating to cyber security have risen to the top of the corporate agenda in recent years but few company leaders are aware of the full extent of the possible damage that data breaches can cause. A new study commissioned by cyber security firm CGI and conducted by Oxford Economics, has found that companies' share prices fall by an average of 1.8 per cent on a permanent basis following a severe breach – where large amounts of sensitive information are lost. This means a typical FTSE 100 firm is worse off by an average of £120m after a breach, according to the study. Oxford Economics compiled the data using the Gemalto Breach Index -- a register of publicly disclosed cyber security breaches. Some 315 breach events were examined in total with a focus on 65 "severe" and "catastrophic" breaches occurring since 2013 across seven global stock exchanges.