Do You Only Focus on the Money Coming Into Your Business? What About What Could Leave Your Account in Seconds?

Most small business owners keep a close eye on the money coming in: when invoices are paid, the balance before approving expenses, and estimates around cash flow.

But far fewer founders pay the same attention to how fast money can leave.

In the UK, 43% of businesses reported experiencing a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months. The picture is similar in the U.S., where 41% of small businesses were victims of a cyberattack, according to a survey referenced by the Small Business Administration.

And when these incidents happen, the financial impact can be severe. According to Aligned Insurance*, the average cost of a cyberattack on a small business ranges between $120,000 and $150,000. Some cases cost far more once downtime, recovery, and disruption are added in.

The Cost of a Cyberattack: Direct and Indirect Losses

The financial impact of a cyberattack rarely shows up as a single expense. According to figures shared by Aligned Insurance, some costs hit immediately, while others surface over time, putting pressure on a business long after the incident itself.

Direct costs: what you pay right away

• Data recovery and IT support. Cyberattacks can damage, delete, or steal business data. Recovering it isn’t just a technical headache — it often requires outside specialists. For small businesses, restoring lost data and systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on how much information was affected.
• Forensic investigations. After an attack, many businesses need experts to figure out what happened, how attackers got in, and whether systems are still at risk. Digital forensics isn’t cheap. Depending on the scope, investigations alone can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000.
• Customer notifications and credit monitoring. If customer or client data is involved, businesses may be legally required to notify those affected. Add to that the cost of offering credit monitoring or identity protection, and expenses can climb quickly — often landing between $20,000 and $50,000 for small organizations.
• Ransom payments. Ransomware remains one of the most disruptive threats. Some businesses refuse to pay, but others feel they have no real choice when systems are locked and operations are frozen. For small businesses that do pay, ransom demands often exceed $10,000, with no guarantee that access will actually be restored.

Indirect costs: what lingers after the incident

Beyond the immediate bills, cyberattacks create knock-on effects that are harder to measure. 

• Business interruption and lost revenue. When systems go down, work stops. Orders can’t be processed, services are delayed, and sales are lost. For small businesses, downtime can mean $8,000 to $20,000 in lost revenue per day, depending on the nature of the business.
• Damage to reputation and trust. Customers expect their data to be handled responsibly. After a breach, trust can erode quickly. Some studies suggest that up to 60% of small businesses close within six months of a major data breach, often because customers don’t come back and new ones don’t convert.
• Legal and regulatory consequences. Many industries have strict data protection laws, such as HIPAA for healthcare or GDPR for any business that deals with EU residents. If your business is found non-compliant, the penalties can range from a few thousand dollars to sums that threaten the survival of a very small company.

Financial Scams Start With Access

Almost every financial scam begins with access. Access to your email means access to invoices, conversations, and approval chains. Access to your accounting software means access to payment details and vendor information. Access to payment platforms or business cards means direct control over money movement.

Whoever controls access controls where the money goes.

Here are some of the most common ways this happens:

1. Invoice scams. You pay the right amount to the wrong place. These scams often involve compromised supplier emails or carefully recreated invoices, and once the payment is sent, recovery is rare.

Related: What Are Invoice Scams and How Small Business Can Stay Safe

2. Business Email Compromise. This type of scam relies on impersonation. An urgent message appears to come from you, a partner, or someone in authority, pushing for a quick, “confidential” payment.

Related: How to Prevent or Recover from A Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attack

3. Bank detail change scams. Payment details are quietly updated, redirecting future payments to a different account.

Related: The One Email Every Small Business Should Be Afraid Of: “Please Urgently Update Our Bank Details.”

4. Account takeovers. Once inside, attackers monitor activity, change settings, and hide alerts, allowing money to leave in small or staged amounts.

Related: What Is Account Takeover (ATO) And How to Protect Against It

5. Payment platforms and business cards. Attackers often begin with small test charges, then increase withdrawals over time. Because the amounts start small, the pattern is easy to miss.

Related: 7 Types of Credit Card Fraud & How Your Businesses Can Avoid Them

 6. Social engineering. Some scams rely on convincing phone calls or messages that create urgency and guide victims step by step. These tactics work because they target trust, not technology.

Related: How Hackers Use AI to Target Small Businesses.

You Don’t Need an IT Department to Reduce the Risk

Small businesses can reduce risk by protecting the few places where money actually moves: email accounts, devices, accounting tools, and payment platforms.

Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security is built for very small businesses that don’t have dedicated IT support. In practical terms, it helps by:

• Blocking phishing, impersonation, and AI-generated scam emails before they reach inboxes
• Flagging suspicious payment requests and scam patterns in real time with Scam Copilot
• Protecting business accounts with a secure password manager and account monitoring
• Stopping constantly changing malware using behavior-based detection
• Securing business devices against targeted, AI-driven attacks
• Monitoring for exposed business credentials and digital identity risks

Everything is managed from a single, easy-to-use dashboard, without technical setup or ongoing maintenance. Plans start at around $180 per year, making it accessible for very small teams.

Find out more and protect the money coming into your business.