How to Recover from a Security Breach: 5 Tips for Response
Despite the best efforts of even the most competent IT/OT security teams—security breaches can still happen, You can do everything right and still become the victim of a cyberattack, just like you can wear a seatbelt, drive defensively, and still get into a car accident. Though the proper precautions can make a security breach less likely, it’s impossible to prevent them completely. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have a basic framework in place for minimizing damage in case the worst happens:
Tip 1: Freeze as much as possible
It’s important to freeze all unnecessary workflow to close as many doors as possible to additional threats that could take advantage of a weakened security system and break through. This will also help you direct more energy to restoring security measures and locating the source of your breach.
Tip 2: Notify your customers
One of the most damaging parts of a data breach is losing customer trust because, once it’s gone, it’s almost impossible to get back. According to the Kapersky Security Bulletin, 21% of customers will never return after a security breach. The best thing to do is to be honest with customers from start to finish and keep them abreast of the situation at the earliest possible date.
Once a data breach has occurred, notify customers, and tell them what they need to know. These actions might be simply changing passwords on other platforms, canceling credit cards, and other logical steps to protect their personal data that may have been compromised in the breach. Transparency is key. Being upfront with customers can help you salvage and maintain their trust.
Tip 3: Assess all hardware and software in your stack
Find out where the breach occurred by thoroughly auditing your entire tech stack. Ceritas can help with this by pinpointing hardware vulnerabilities, so you can quickly address them.
Tip 4: Patch or rip and replace
Once you’ve located the issue, take necessary action to mitigate the vulnerability, such as patching the software or firmware – or completely removing compromised hardware to prevent further damage. Seek replacement hardware that Ceritas has rated as safe to prevent future issues.
Tip 5: Message honestly before resuming business
As you work to fix the problem, keep customers informed and remind them that their security is your top priority. Don’t make false claims, like stating that the breach is fixed when it hasn’t been or that certain data wasn’t compromised when it might have been.
When the attack has been resolved completely, let customers know and continue to monitor the situation closely. If customers have concerns, listen, and respond with empathy. This is the best way to maintain customer trust as much as possible to avoid as much business disruption as you can.
Data breaches can set your company back in many ways. But a good recovery plan is the best way to minimize damage and get things moving again with as little downtime as possible. Of course, prevention is always the best course of action, so make sure that you’re taking proactive steps to help prevent cyberattacks. Ceritas can secure your stack by scanning your equipment inventory for potential vulnerabilities and providing clear action steps to mitigate issues.
Request a free demo today to secure your stack.