A security breach can be devastating for a company and a cause for real concern, but it’s important that you recover correctly to reduce the effect of the data breach and protect yourself in the future. Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are very common in today’s day and age and are constantly evolving, which can make it difficult to defend yourself. One of the most important things is to have a plan in case you do have a breach – hopefully, you’ll never have to use it, but it’s smart to be well prepared.
Identify How It Happened
First, you need to identify how the breach happened. Unfortunately, pinpointing or knowing you have been hacked can sometimes be hard. A few signs are that the computer has a slow response time, popups will not close, or you may have clients reporting spam emails from your account. Once it has been identified, you should contain the breach, which may involve disconnecting your system from the internet or stopping usage of the affected machine. If you don’t have enough expertise in this area, contact a security firm such as frsecure.com that can assess the risk and make recommendations on the next steps.
Assess The Risk
Next, you should assess the damage by looking into what type of data is involved and how sensitive it is, how many people are affected and who, whether the data is encrypted, and if you are backed up. If the attack involved encrypting the data so you can no longer access it, secure the network and then download the data from your remote server (an absolute must-have).
Inform Affected Parties
This is something that no one will want to do, but it is an essential step in recovery. Break the news to those who have been affected, which could include employees, partners, investors, vendors, and customers. Send clear notification letters that detail what happened and how they can protect themselves from identity theft – you could offer a product to allow them to do this and assist with any resulting fraud.
Prevention
Next, you must prevent another breach, as cybercriminals may target your company. One of the best ways to do this is to train your staff in data security and ensure that it becomes an important part of your operation. Some courses are worthwhile where you can learn about antivirus software, creating strong and different passwords, phishing, backup and storage, and information security. You should also purchase or update any data security products from companies such as sonicwallonline.co.uk, which can provide you with the support you and your business need. What’s more, speaking to such professionals can help prevent further hacks.
PEN Testing
Once you have done all of the above and enhanced your data security, be sure to carry out regular penetration testing (PEN testing). This simulated attack will help evaluate security and identify any weaknesses.
Cybercrime is on the rise, meaning that all businesses need to plan for what they will do if their data is breached. The above will help minimize the breach’s impact while protecting you against future attacks.
