Data breaches are no longer “if” but “when.” When they do occur, a rapid response is crucial. Activate the incident response team and gather initial information. Then, contain the breach by isolating systems or changing access credentials. Ensure that any inquiry from a regulator is handled professionally. Here are ten tips to guide you through it all.
Identify the Incident
A data breach is a critical business event, and enterprises must show stakeholders they can handle such incidents calmly and confidently. Any panic, confusion, or chaos will only erode customers’ future trust in the enterprise. To avoid this, companies must develop a robust incident response plan that includes key actions to take immediately after a breach. Start by mobilizing your incident response team and ensuring they are well briefed.
This should include forensics, legal, information technology, operations, human resources, and communications experts. Record how the breach was identified (e.g., by internal staff, external researchers, or a system alert). This will help the team understand how far the breach has spread. In addition, this can provide clues as to how the attack may have evolved. Also, review your existing security systems and forensic tools to see what evidence they might have of the incident.
Specifically, look for any “dropper” malware propagating the breach. It would help if you also examined the physical areas that may have been compromised. Make sure to lock or secure these areas and prevent unauthorized access. The team must review all affected systems and machines to ensure that all hacker tools have been removed before bringing systems back online.
Identify the Source
It’s essential to figure out where the attack originated and how it was detected. Often, incidents are more extensive than they appear initially, and it’s crucial to know what’s at risk so you can contain the threat or remove compromised data. Record the date and time of the incident, how it was discovered, and how the response began. Next, take the steps to stop the bleeding by halting any more data exfiltration and isolating infected systems or accounts.
This may involve taking impacted machines offline, resetting passwords and credentials, or patching vulnerabilities. Also, suspending compromised accounts is an essential step that gives the company the time to conduct a comprehensive technical investigation. In addition, this suspension makes it easier to handle non-technical aspects of critical security incidents, like taking press and customer inquiries, maintaining internal and external communications, and protecting the company’s reputation and brand.
The organization can effectively manage the technical and PR aspects of responding to the breach by temporarily restricting compromised accounts. This can also be an excellent time to perform root cause analysis and determine how to improve your defenses in the future. Once the bleeding has stopped, your team should notify customers, partners, and any other stakeholders affected by the breach. This should occur promptly and with the advice of legal counsel.
This will help reduce rumors that can damage your reputation. Be sure to include your data breach response plan in your communications strategy, which should be reviewed and updated regularly. It should be straightforward for people to understand. If your organization has customers covered under FERPA, be aware of their rights and provide them with appropriate information about the breach.
Identify the Damage
As a company, it is essential to identify the damage the breach has caused and determine what steps must be taken to remediate it. This includes evaluating the impact on the data, systems, and customers. It also means deciding whether the breach has been used for malicious purposes such as phishing or identity theft and what measures should be taken to ensure this does not happen again. During this stage, it is essential to keep the incident quiet and keep all information private from consumers, partners, or other parties until a clearer picture of what happened is understood.
It is also essential to decide how the company will contact consumers. Some companies post a summary on their website to allow consumers to get the latest information as soon as possible. This helps avoid phishing scams and limits damage to the company’s reputation. It is also essential to communicate with the team internally, keeping them up-to-date as more details are understood.
This is often an opportunity to establish trust with the team and help them know what is happening. During this time, it is not uncommon for people to panic and do things that can be damaging. Set up an email address or phone number for employees to call in case of questions and concerns.
Identify the Impact
A company needs to understand the impact of the incident so it can make appropriate decisions about remediation and ensuring data security in the future. It’s essential to enlist the help of a forensic team to determine the cause, scope, and damage. They can capture forensic images of affected systems and provide an overview of what’s been stolen, what information is compromised, and how to contain the incident.
Once the forensics are complete, the next step is to limit access to critical systems by removing or restricting employee permissions. This will help prevent cybercriminals from gaining unauthorized access in the future. It’s also essential to identify and implement any new security measures that may be needed. Finally, it’s critical to communicate with employees and customers to inform them of the incident.
This is best done promptly and with honesty. Providing regular updates as investigations and the response process continue is also a good idea. It’s also a good idea to offer free credit monitoring to impacted consumers. This will alert them of any changes to their credit reports that could indicate suspicious activity. This is especially helpful if the breach involves sensitive personal information, like a Social Security or credit card number. It also allows them to take proactive steps to freeze their credit to protect their future identity.