Why “We’ll Fix It Later” is the Most Expensive Cyber Strategy?
For many businesses, cyber risk doesn’t feel urgent - until it is. A missed patch. A postponed security audit. A delayed policy update. “We’ll fix it later” often sounds reasonable in themoment, especially when budgets are tight, teams are stretched, and nothing bad has happened yet. But in cybersecurity, later is usually when the damage shows up. This mindset, treating cybersecurity as a future problem, has quietly become one of the most expensive strategies a company can adopt. Not because leaders are careless, but because cyber risk rarely announces itself before causing harm. This article breaks down why postponing cyber decisions costs far more than acting early, how this mindset creeps into organisations, and what businesses can do to replace delay with resilience.
Thank you for showing your interest in cyber-insurance. Our relationship manager will call you to discuss the details and share the best quotes from various insurers. In case you have any query or comments, please contact us at corporateinsurance@policybazaar.com
Why “We’ll Fix It Later” is the Most Expensive Cyber Strategy?
The Illusion of “Nothing Has Happened So Far”
One of the biggest reasons companies delay cyber investments is simple: they haven’t experienced a breach yet.
When systems appear to work fine, it creates a false sense of safety. Decision-makers assume:
Existing controls are “good enough”
Cyber incidents only happen to large enterprises
Attackers won’t find their business interesting
In reality, most cyber attacks exploit long-ignored gaps—outdated software, weak credentials, or unsecured third-party access. These vulnerabilities often exist for months or years before being discovered.
Cyber risk isn’t visible like a broken machine or a flooded office. It stays hidden until the moment it’s exploited, and by then, the cost has multiplied.
Why ‘Fixing It Later’ Always Costs More?
1. Reactive Fixes Are More Expensive Than Preventive Controls
Fixing a vulnerability before an incident typically involves:
Updating software
Strengthening access controls
Training employees
Reviewing vendors
Fixing it after an incident involves:
Incident response teams
Business downtime
Legal counsel
Regulatory penalties
Customer communication
Reputation repair
The same weakness that could have been addressed with a routine update can lead to weeks of operational disruption when exploited.
Prevention is a line item. Recovery is a crisis.
2. Downtime Is Costlier Than Most Businesses Expect
When leaders think about cyber incidents, they often focus on data loss. What gets underestimated is downtime.
A single ransomware or system compromise can:
Shut down billing and payments
Halt manufacturing or service delivery
Lock employees out of critical systems
Delay customer commitments
For many businesses, even a few hours offline translates into lost revenue, missed deadlines, and damaged client trust. Unlike planned maintenance, cyber downtime is chaotic, uncoordinated, and unpredictable.
Fixing things later means accepting the risk of unplanned business stoppage.
3. Small Issues Compound Over Time
Cyber risk rarely comes from one big mistake. It’s usually the result of many small delays:
“We’ll patch it next quarter”
“We’ll review vendor access later”
“We’ll update policies once the team grows”
“We’ll train employees next year”
Each delay increases complexity. Systems age, vendors multiply, employees change, and documentation becomes outdated. When a breach finally happens, teams are trying to fix years of neglect under pressure.
What could have been a simple fix becomes a tangled, expensive mess.
The Human Cost of Delayed Cyber Decisions
Cyber incidents don’t just impact systems; they impact people.
Employees face stress and blame during investigations
Leadership deals with reputational fallout
Customers lose confidence
Partners question reliability
Post-breach environments are reactive and tense. Decisions are rushed. Communication is defensive. Trust erodes internally and externally.
By contrast, companies that invest early operate from a place of preparedness, not panic.
‘Later’ Often Means ‘Without a Plan’
Another hidden danger of postponing cyber risk management is a lack of ownership.
When security is delayed, it often falls into a grey area:
IT assumes leadership will decide
Leadership assumes IT is handling it
No one owns the risk end-to-end
Without clear ownership:
Risks aren’t prioritised
Budgets aren’t allocated
Accountability is missing
When an incident occurs, the absence of a plan becomes painfully obvious. Teams scramble to understand what systems are affected, who should act, and how to respond.
Fixing cyber risk later usually means fixing it without preparation.
Why Attackers Love the ‘We’ll Fix It Later' Mindset?
Cyber attackers don’t rely on zero-day vulnerabilities alone. They rely on:
Unpatched systems
Default passwords
Over-privileged vendor access
Poor monitoring
These are all symptoms of delayed action.
Attackers know most businesses postpone security improvements. Automated tools continuously scan for known weaknesses. When a vulnerability goes unfixed, it’s not hidden; it’s advertised.
In cybersecurity, delay is visibility.
Regulatory and Legal Costs Multiply Over Time
As regulations around data protection and cyber resilience tighten, delayed action becomes even more expensive.
After a breach, businesses may face:
Regulatory investigations
Fines for inadequate controls
Mandatory audits
Legal claims from affected parties
In many cases, regulators don’t penalise businesses just for being attacked; they penalise them for failing to take reasonable preventive measures.
“We were planning to fix it later” is rarely an acceptable defence.
The Reputation Recovery Tax
Reputation damage is one of the hardest costs to quantify—and the hardest to recover from.
After a cyber incident:
Customers hesitate to share data
Sales cycles become longer
Partners demand additional assurances
Competitors use the incident as leverage
Rebuilding trust requires time, transparency, and often additional investments in security and communication. What could have been a quiet internal upgrade turns into a public reassurance campaign.
Fixing it later means paying a reputation tax upfront and ongoing.
Why Cyber Risk Should Be Treated Like Business Risk?
The most resilient organisations don’t treat cybersecurity as an IT project. They treat it as a business risk, similar to financial, legal, or operational risk.
This shift changes behaviour:
Risks are discussed at lthe eadership level
Decisions are prioritised based on impact
Budgets are planned, not reactive
Ownership is clearly defined
When cyber risk is embedded into decision-making, “later” stops being the default response.
Replacing “We’ll Fix It Later” With a Smarter Approach
Avoiding this costly mindset doesn’t require perfection. It requires consistency.
Start with Visibility: Know what systems, data, and vendors you rely on. You can’t protect what you don’t see.
Prioritise Based on Impact: Not all risks are equal. Focus on vulnerabilities that could disrupt operations, finances, or trust.
Assign Clear Ownership: Cyber risk needs a business owner, not just a technical caretaker.
Review Regularly: Cyber risk evolves. What was acceptable last year may be dangerous today.
Treat Prevention as an Investment: Security controls cost money. Incidents cost much more.
Conclusion
Choosing to delay cyber action is still a decision, just one that hands control to attackers, regulators, and circumstances.
The most expensive cyber strategy isn’t buying the wrong tool or hiring the wrong vendor. It’s assuming you’ll have time to fix things later.
Because in cybersecurity, later is usually too late.
Disclaimer: Above mentioned insurers are arranged in alphabetical order. Policybazaar.com does not endorse, rate, or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.
Global Cyber Threats: India Emerges as a Key Target in 2024
According to a report by cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK, India ranked as one of the top nations globally affected by cyberattacks in 2024,with 95...Read more
Payment Gateway Company Reports Massive ₹16,180 Crore Cyber Theft
In a startling revelation, the Thane Police have exposed a massive cyber heist, with cybercriminals pilfering an astonishing ₹16,180 crore. This...Read more
Cybercriminals Target Former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran's Savings...
In a concerning development, cybercriminals managed to siphon off ₹99,999,from the personal savings account of Dayanidhi Maran, the former Union...Read more
Mumbai Police Nab Four Cyber Fraudsters in Extensive 22-Day Operation
In a 22-day operation spanning four states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesha Mumbai Police task force comprising seven...Read more
India Grapples with Mounting Cybersecurity Risks, According to Palo...
India is confronting a significant threat of cyberattacks aimed at its critical infrastructure, public sector, and essential services, as per a report...Read more
Pune-Based Engineering Supplies Firm Loses Over 22 Lakh in Cyber Scam
Pune City police uncovered a suspected 'man-in-the-middle' cyber attack that cost a Pune-based engineering supplies firm more than 24,000 Euros...Read more
AIIMS Delhi Hit by Cyber Attack for Second Time in a Year
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi faced a new cyberattack on Monday The premier medical institution promptly responded...Read more
Mumbai Woman Falls Victim to Cyber Fraudsters While Helping an...
A Mumbai woman's act of kindness towards an injured bird took an unexpected turn when she became a target of cyber fraudDhwani Mehta works at Famous Studios...Read more
Scammers Exploit 'Man-in-the-Middle' Technique, Pune Construction...
Prominent Construction Technology Company falls victim to cyber attack, losing Rs 13.8 Lakh in Pune, India.The investigators described it as a...Read more
Reddit Hacked in a Targeted Phishing Attack
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget FY 2023 on February 1, 2023. Christopher Slowe, CTO of Reddit, revealed the company was able...Read more
FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces Set up of 3 Artificial Intelligence...
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget FY 2023 on February 1, 2023. The Finance Minister announced the establishment of 3...Read more
Cyber Fraudster Target Customer under Disguise of Insurance Officer
Cyber fraudsters are targeting customers under the disguise of not a bank official but an insurance company official In one such event, a 67 year old...Read more
Sensitive Data of 6 Lakh Indians Stolen by Hackers and Sold at Rs...
Out of 5 million people globally, 6 lakhs Indians have had their sensitive data stolen and sold on the bot market making India, the worst affected...Read more
AIIMS Cyber Breach: Attackers Demand Rs 200 Crore in Crypto
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India reported a cyberattack on November 23, 2022. Later, the statement released by AIIMS said that...Read more
Cyber Criminals Sending Phishing Links to Twitter Users
Cyber criminals are targeting twitter Verified Twitter user by sending them phishing links. The cyber criminals send the phishing link to steal their...Read more
Advanced Persistent Threat is a hidden, long-lasting, and...Read more
10 Mar 2025 by Policybazaar1333 Views
Disclaimers+
+Disclaimer: The starting premium is ₹2 per day for a ₹5 lakh Sum Insured under an individual plan. The actual premium may vary based on the chosen plan type and selected add-ons. Standard terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the sales brochure for detailed information on risk factors, terms, and conditions before making a purchase. ++Disclaimer: The premium of Rs 112100/year is the starting price for sum insured of Rs 1 Crore that may vary depending on the business activity and services rendered, company turnover, and its geographical split, industries/customers to whom the product/service is being provided, website and domain network features, business continuity plan, and data protection measures. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. For more details on risk factors, terms and conditions, please read the sales brochure carefully before concluding a sale.
By clicking on "View Plans" you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use and also provide us a formal mandate to represent you to the insurer and communicate to you the grant of a cover. The details of insurance coverage, inclusions and exclusions are subject to change as per solutions offered by insurance providers. The content has been curated based on the general practices in the industry. Policybazaar is not responsible for the factual correctness of these details.
Your call has been scheduled successfully.
Expert advice made easy
Date
Time
When do you want a call back?
Today
Tomorrow
03 Feb
04 Feb
05 Feb
06 Feb
07 Feb
What will be the suitable time?
11:00am - 12:00pm
12:00pm - 01:00pm
01:00pm - 02:00pm
02:00pm - 03:00pm
03:00pm - 04:00pm
04:00pm - 05:00pm
05:00pm - 06:00pm
Tell us the number you want us to call on
Your privacy matters. We wont spam you
Call scheduled successfully!
Our experts will reach out to you on Today between
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
We don't spam
Expert advice made easy
