DDoS SMB 8 min read

The Real Cost of a DDoS Attack for SMBs in 2026

"It won't happen to us — we're just a small business." This is the biggest cybersecurity mistake you can make. SMBs are the favorite target.

DDoS Facts for SMBs in 2026

20.5M

DDoS attacks in one quarter — 96% of all of 2024.

509%

More network-layer attacks than a year earlier.

€22,000

Average cost per minute of downtime from a DDoS attack.

89%

Of attacks last less than 10 minutes.

Direct Costs

1. Downtime and Lost Revenue

A DDoS attack can take your webshop offline for hours or days. For an average SMB: €13,200 per hour of downtime at €1M annual revenue.

2. Technical Recovery

Expect €1,500 – €5,000 in technical hours for post-incident recovery.

3. Bandwidth Costs

Without DDoS mitigation, you pay for all attack traffic — potentially tens of thousands of euros.

Indirect Costs

Reputation Damage

60% of consumers avoid a company after a cyber incident. Rebuilding trust takes months.

Contractual Penalties

If you have SLA obligations, you could be held liable for your clients' business losses.

Example: SMB with an Online Store

Cost Category Amount
Downtime (4 hours, €22K/hour) €88,000
Technical recovery (external) €4,000
Extra bandwidth/cloud costs €6,000
Lost sales first week €25,000
Reputation recovery €12,000
Team productivity loss €8,000
Total €143,000+

Prevention Is Cheaper

Retslav DDoS Protection

From €3/month

For game servers. Business plans from €29/month — always-on L7/L4 filtering, Netherlands data center, 99.99% SLA.

Compare €143,000 with €3/month. Even the most expensive plan is less than 1% of the cost of a single successful attack.

Don't wait until you're next

A DDoS attack is not a matter of if, but when.

Questions? [email protected]FAQ