CYBER AWARENESS: DATA BREACH – Prepare for a Cyber Security Breach: A proactive approach

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CYBER AWARENESS: Prepare for a Cyber Security Breach
By: James Fernley – Acora
Syndicated via  CYBERInsights/CyberVoice
First for SME Cybersecurity  PR

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CYBER AWARENESS: Prepare for a Cyber Security Breach – 
A proactive approach to mitigation increases a cyber defence plan’s effectiveness

Having an outsider break into an enterprise network is alarming. Responding to the intrusion in a scattershot fashion exacerbates the problem. Consequently, Cybersecurity professionals need to prepare for an attack, engage all business leaders in possible solutions, and simulate the company response.

The first step to addressing a security breach is understanding that there is a good chance it will occur. The likelihood is high because systems are continuously under siege:

• Nearly 4,000 new cyber attacks occur every day.
• Every 14 seconds, a company falls victim to a ransomware attack
• 560,000 new pieces of malware are detected daily

Yet, many corporations are oblivious to the threat. “Most CISO’s don’t do a good job translating cyber risk into something tangible that business leaders understand,” stated James Fernley, Head of Cyber Services at Acora.

Focus on the Business, Not the Technology

Security experts dive too deeply into the technology. Executives want to know how an attack will impact corporate workflow. The reality is that today making the business case is easier than ever before. Corporate reliance on technology has grown and become integral to everything a company does: sell products, service customers, create new solutions. If the network is down, none of that work gets done.

Once a business understands the threat landscape, they need to prepare for a successful attack. They do not want to learn how to respond to a crisis during the crisis. So, they have to recognise how much they depend on their systems, determine where they are vulnerable, and put processes in place to respond when an attack takes place.

Such work requires a corporate-wide team effort. The IT security is responsible for an important piece, protecting the system infrastructure, but a successful or unsuccessful response revolves more about what the organisation does – or does not do after the breach. Mitigation responsibility starts with the CEO and trickles down throughout the organisation to risk officers, marketing personnel, legal, customer support, product line personnel, and finance teams.

Roles Need to be Defined

These groups need to establish not only a plan for what needs to be done but clear dividing lines that spell out who is responsible for what piece. Who is responsible for informing employees about the break-in? Customers? Partners? What communication channels will be safe to use? What backup plans are in place? How might workers shift from one location to another?

As the damage becomes clear, companies need to remain calm, something much easier said than done. “Most organisations rush straight into panic mode,” James stated. They must take a measured approach and determine what has happened, which is often unclear when they realise an attack has been successful.

Depending on the nature of the breach, fully remediating it takes days, weeks, or even months. Corporations need to balance the need to close the holes up as quickly as possible with the staff’s well-being. They should not force employees to work too many extra-long shifts. That approach only jeopardises their mental health and clouds their judgement.

Finally, the company needs to learn from such experiences. They can use the incident as a catalyst to drive change within your organisation and improve your ability when the next one arrives – and make no mistake it will come.

About James Fernley

James Fernley, is Head of Cyber Services at Acora.
Throughout his career, James has attained extensive experience in devising and executing robust security strategies aimed at streamlining operational teams to achieve organisational goals and reduce enterprise risk.

About Acora

Acora is a progressive technology services provider that is leading the industry with its Experience Led ApproachTM Their mission is to unleash the potential of people, through outstanding IT experiences, striking the right balance between frictionless user experience and best-in-class security. Acora continually invests in the right people, processes, and platforms that enable businesses to excel and reach their full potential.