The Impact On Brand Reputation

Businesses may underestimate the importance of consumer trust, Deloitte said. In fact, when thinking about potential cyber incidents, consumer product companies that took part in its survey seem to be primarily concerned with production disruptions (48 percent) and loss of intellectual property (42 percent), while significantly fewer — 16 percent — reported being concerned with tarnishing brand perceptions related to trust.

"News of breaches cannot only threaten sales of a particular product or brand, but can tarnish broader perceptions consumers have toward connected products in general — jeopardizing billions in future sales growth," Barb Renner, vice chairman of Deloitte and U.S. consumer products leader, said.