How to Prepare For and Respond To A Cyber Attack: Have A Disaster Recovery Plan

Insider threats, hackers and cyber criminals are all after your data, and despite your best precautions, they may breach your systems. How should small and medium sized businesses prepare for a cyber incident or data breach?

Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, are more sophisticated, and can have devastating consequences. It is not enough for organizations to merely defend themselves against cyber security threats. Determined hackers have proven that with enough commitment, planning and persistence to breaching an organization’s data they will inevitably find a way to access that information. Organizations need to either develop cyber incident response plans or update existing disaster recovery plans in order to quickly mitigate the effects of a cyber attack and/or prevent and remediate a data breach. Small businesses are perhaps the most vulnerable organizations, as they are often unable to dedicate the necessary resources to protect themselves go to this website. Some studies have found that nearly 60% of small businesses will close within six months following a cyber attack. Today, risk management requires that you plan ahead to prepare, protect and recover from a cyber attack.

Protect Against Internal Threats

First, most organizations focus their cyber security systems on external threats and as a result they often fail to protect against internal threats, which by some estimates account for nearly 80% of security issues. Common insider threats include abuse of confidential or proprietary information and disruption of security measures and protocols. As internal threats can result in just as much damage as an outside attack, it is essential that organizations protect themselves from threats posed by their own employees. Limiting access to information is the primary way businesses can protect themselves. Specifically, businesses can best protect themselves by granting access to information, particularly sensitive data, on a need-to-know basis. Logging events and backing up information, along with educating employees on safe emailing and Internet practices are all crucial to an organization’s protection against and recovery from a breach.

Involve Your Team In Attack Mitigation Plans

Next, just as every employee can pose a cyber security threat, every employee can, and should, be a part of the post-attack process. All departments, not just the IT team, should be trained on how to communicate with clients after a cyber attack, and be prepared to work with the legal team to address the repercussions of such an attack. The most effective cyber response plans are customized to their organization and these plans should involve all employees and identify their specific role in the organization’s cyber security.

Draft, Implement and Update Your Cyber Security Plans

Finally, cyber security, just like technology, evolves on daily basis, making it crucial for an organization to predict and prevent potential attacks before they happen. Organizations need to be proactive in the drafting, implementing and updating of their cyber security plans. The best way for an organization to test their cyber security plan is to simulate a breach or conduct an internal audit which will help identify strengths and weaknesses in the plan, as well as build confidence that in the event of an actual cyber attack the organization is fully prepared.

If you have questions regarding creating or updating a disaster or cyber incident recovery plan, please feel free to contact us using our contact form.