Operational Costs of Attack Response

Responding to DDoS attacks generates significant operational expenses beyond lost revenue. Emergency response teams often work overtime during attacks, with large incidents requiring round-the-clock staffing. Technical staff costs average $150-$300 per hour, with specialized security consultants commanding $300-$500 hourly. A moderate three-day incident can generate $50,000-$100,000 in additional labor costs.

Infrastructure scaling represents another major expense category. Organizations often provision additional servers, bandwidth, and security services during attacks. Cloud platforms charge premium rates for emergency scaling. Bandwidth overages during volumetric attacks can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Emergency hardware purchases to increase capacity add capital expenses.

Third-party services activated during attacks carry substantial costs. Emergency DDoS mitigation services charge premium rates for on-demand activation. Incident response consultants provide expertise but at steep prices. Forensic analysis to understand attack patterns costs $10,000-$50,000 depending on complexity. Legal services for evidence preservation and law enforcement coordination add thousands more.

Communication costs accumulate through customer notifications and public relations efforts. Mass customer emails, SMS notifications, and call center scaling require immediate investment. Public relations firms managing crisis communications charge premium rates. Social media management during incidents demands dedicated resources. Total communication costs for major incidents reach $25,000-$100,000.