After your business has suffered a cyber attack, it can leave you feeling deflated and understandably upset. However, there are a few necessary steps you should take immediately after a cyber attack to help recover your business and prevent a second attack from occurring.
What is a cyber attack?
A cyber attack is an unauthorised, intentional effort to steal, expose, alter, disable or destroy data and applications through access to a network, computer system or digital device.
The attacker will usually seek some type of benefit from disrupting the victims network and more often than not, it is usually for financial gain.
What is a data breach?
A data breach is a type of cyber attack in which the attacker accesses private data and personal information.
Data breaches can have serious consequences for both the business and their customers, which is why appropriate measures must be taken to compensate for losses and restore privacy.
What should be done immediately after a cyber attack?
Whilst you should be taking action during a cyber attack, there are a few vital steps you should take immediately after the attack to help recuperate your business and ensure your client information is safe.
- Follow your incident response plan
Having a detailed cyber incident response plan can help to make your recovery process less tedious and stressful. The plan should clearly assign responsibilities to team members and individuals in your business, as well as containing all the necessary steps your organisation should take to recover as seamlessly as possible.
- Create a business interruption plan
If your business absolutely needs to resume operating, you should create a business interruption plan based on the situation. You should look at finding alternatives to the processes that were interrupted due to the cyber attack and inform your employees on how to adapt to these new working conditions.
At Stanmore Insurance, we can provide your company with Business Interruption Cover which helps to protect you from any financial losses your business may suffer from if it is unable to operate as usual due to a cyber attack.
- Recover or rebuild data
If you have a cyber recovery system, you should try to recover any data that may have been compromised or stolen. If you keep backups as part of your response plan, you will need to rebuild the data that was stored after your most recent backup.
- Analyse and improve your cybersecurity procedures
One of the most important steps you should take after a cyber attack is to analyse the gaps in your cyber security plans and learn where you can improve them.
You should be strengthening your security protocols and changing all passwords, as well as instructing your employees to do the same. Educating your staff is one of the best methods for preventing future attacks and keeping your clients data confidential.
How long does it take a business to recover from a cyber attack?
The time it takes for a business to recover from a cyber attack really depends on the severity of the attack.
For companies who have had a large amount of data stolen, including personal information and bank details, it may take longer to recover than those who have had a small breach of email addresses.
For some, it may only take a few days to get back up and running, but for others it could take a month or longer to ensure all data is properly protected and the threat of another attack has gone.
Preventing future cyber attacks
Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common and the financial consequences can be catastrophic, no matter what size business you have.
At Stanmore Insurance, we offer fully comprehensive cyber insurance policies to help keep your business safe and prevent future cyber attacks from happening. Our experts can help you to navigate confusing cyber insurance policies and provide you with all the advice and support you need to protect your business from a second cyber attack.
Get in touch with our expert team today to find out more.