As enterprises around the world are marching towards digitalization, no organization is said to be immune to cyber-attacks. Remember, if hackers can target companies like Equifax, Yahoo, NSA and SEC they can also take a call at your organization anytime.
So, the question is to be smartly prepared to tackle any and every situation after the attack. This is to save you from being hauled by congress, loose customers, face lawsuits and such…
Thomas Reuters, which offers legal solutions online, has drafted 5 steps to help cyber-attack victims (affected organizations) from facing mayhem after a cyber-attack. And those are as follows-
Bring everyone onto board- It is better to create awareness in an organization about cyber-attacks and their repercussions. Involve the C-Suite and Board of directors first and let them know the basics of investing in cyber security. As after convincing them, it will be easy to involve other people like the IT managers, brand managers, business developers and the support staff.
Teach and learn- Creating awareness among the staff of an organization means making sure that they know what is happening in the cyber world and how well is their organization prepared. CIOs and CTOs should take stock of their organizations preparedness to cyber-attacks by including a review from the network providers and third-party vendors.
Take everything into account- On an average, the cost of a data breach is expected to top $150 million by 2020. Remember, Equifax faced a cyber embarrassment for not updating its servers and systems with security software in a timely manner. So, patches and updates need to apply on regular basis. Also, it is better to train employees on phishing emails and the basics of cyber protection etiquette.
Cloud benefits- Data Storage on cloud is now becoming a common practice among SMBs and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But cyber crooks are trying to exploit the vulnerabilities of such platforms to extract user data to sell it on dark web. So, users using cloud platforms should also follow proper security steps while securing their data on a cloud service provider’s platform. And if they fail to do so, then they will surely invite more trouble.
Keep a business continuity plan on hand- Sometimes hackers launch cyber-attacks with such a sophistication that companies’ despite of being well prepared do get influenced. Thus, CIOs and CTOs should also have business continuity plans on hand such as regular and updated backups to counter such situations. And if they fail to do so then financial and physical stress for them will be inevitable.
