Market Reactions to Material Cybersecurity Incident Disclosures

Abstract

This study examines short-term market responses to material cybersecurity incidents disclosed under Item 1.05 of Form 8-K. Drawing on a sample of disclosures made between 2023 and 2025, daily stock price movements were evaluated over a standardized event window surrounding each filing. On average, companies experienced negative price reactions following the disclosure of a material cybersecurity incident. Comparisons across company characteristics indicate that smaller companies tended to incur more pronounced declines, while differences by sector and beta were not evident. These findings offer empirical insight into how public markets interpret cybersecurity risks when they are formally reported and suggest that firm size may influence the degree of sensitivity to such events.