Cybercrime costs are approaching half a trillion dollars annually worldwide, warned Washington, D.C.-based consultant Hamilton Place Strategies in a report released Tuesday.

Domestically, hackers have stolen nearly three 3 records for every U.S. man, woman and child in the last 10 years, according to the report.

The yearly dollar damage globally exceeds the market cap of Exxon Mobil.

Companies are vulnerable to cybercrime reputational damage not only from direct hits from hackers but from the publicity of assaults on less cyber-prepared businesses in their line of work.

A cyber assault can tarnish an entire industry, the consultant warned.

To protect its image, Hamilton Place said, a company needs to put together a list of the five things it does right to prevent cybercrime and to get the word out to the public.

Since cyber issues are incredibly complex, a business should have an internal technology expert trained on how to deal with the press when a major attack occurs.