Any company, no matter how large or small, is at risk of a cyber security breach. While managed IT services can offer IT security and data loss prevention, there is always a chance you’ll need to recover customer information, proprietary data, or files and documents. A cyber security breach can affect your relationship with customers and shake their trust in you and your company, so crisis management and disaster recovery plans are crucial for rebuilding that trust. Here’s a look at how your business can manage and recover from a cyber security breach:
Secure Your Operations
You must work quickly to secure your systems and identify the cause of breach so it won’t happen again. Work with your IT provider to secure physical areas and change access codes, conduct data forensics, and consult with legal counsel if necessary. Prevent additional data loss by taking affected equipment offline. Interview people who identified the breach, and review your digital presence to ensure no improper information was posted on your website or social media accounts. Retain all evidence discovered so it can be used during your investigation and remediation.
Address Vulnerabilities
Next, address vulnerabilities in your system and staff. Contact your service providers, and make them aware of the breach so that they can evaluate areas of concern and check your network segmentation for vulnerabilities. Work closely with forensic data experts to gather information about who had access to your systems, what information was compromised, and how access can be restricted going forward. You will also need to contact your cyber insurance provider to review your options.
Notify Appropriate Parties
Develop a communications plan to reach all affected parties and anticipate questions that will be asked so you have clear, concise responses at the ready. Determine your legal requirements and work with a legal team to ensure you’re meeting them. Notify law enforcement if necessary. Notify affected businesses, individuals, and customers and designate a point person at your organization who will handle questions. Advise customers of how you plan to avoid a future breach, what you’re doing to protect their information. You may want to offer a year of free credit monitoring if the breach involved customers’ identifying information.
Whether you need assistance handling a cyber security breach, or want to prevent the likelihood of one happening by implementing IT security services in Arizona, contact us at Silverado Technologies. We work closely with our clients to identify areas of security weakness, create a data security plan, train staff, and perform robust testing to ensure the plan works. To learn more or schedule an initial consultation, call us today at (520) 903-1580 or contact us online.