Data breach cases seem to be perpetually in the news for the last few years. It’s a security incident of unauthorized access to private and sensitive information. Not only personal information, but data breaches can also expose financial information, including credit card numbers, or corporate secrets, such as software codes, customers’ intellectual property, etc.
In the worst scenario, data breach cases can cost the companies their entire business. Post data breach, the losses may result from a hacker impersonating someone from the network. One of the most significant issues with these cases is that the attack and infiltration into the network go undetected for a long time.
As the after-effects can be detrimental, it’s crucial to stay protected and try every possible thing to prevent data breaches. Here are some of the ways you can consider to recover from the data breach and return to the business-
Stop The Data Breach
Once noticed, it’s important to contain the breach as quickly as possible. The ways an organization or company will contain the breach varies with the nature of the attack and the systems affected.
Start by separating any system accessed by the attacker in order to prevent the data leak from spreading. If the attacker has targeted a user’s account, disconnect it immediately. Have a complex security infrastructure with multiple layers so that you can identify or locate the attack as soon as possible.
Also, it is good to enforce the selection of passwords, security codes, or other login credentials. A helpful password checker that guarantees online security and internet safety will act as a line of defense against the foreign elements.
Investigate And Access The Damage
Once you’ve contained a data breach, it’s time to eliminate the chances of further damage. After you’ve stopped and eliminated the attack, the next step is to investigate or access the damage.
In order to prevent future attacks, it is vital to know how the attack happened. Check the affected system carefully to detect any malware left by the attacker. The information you need to dip up include-
- Attack vector
- If the attack was based on user accounts or social engineering tactics
- Type of data affected
- If the data contained any high-risk information
- If the data was encrypted and can be restored, etc.
Notify All Those Who Are Affected
After investigating, you’ll discover who were affected, and who are at risk. So, the next step is to notify authorities or individuals who have been affected. As there are specific legal regulations that govern the time frame in which the breaches must be reported, it’s good to do it at the earliest.
You can inform via emails, phone calls, or any other mode of communication you use. You need to cite the data, what was compromised, and what the victims can do to prevent further damage. It helps a business or an organization to save its reputation or maintain integrity.
Audit The Security To Prepare For Future Recovery
Probably, no one can claim that their IT security is sufficient enough to tackle the data breaches unless they conduct a security audit. Whether a data breach happened or not, security audits must be carried out regularly.
An audit after a data breach helps to analyze all the systems so that new fixes and policies can be implemented. Examining network and server systems, rDNS records, IP blocks, and company certifications helps you to know which data is already exposed online that malicious attackers can use easily.
Update Your Recovery Plan
Not to mention, after being attacked once, there are substantial chances of being attacked again. It’s not uncommon that the same attacker or group of attackers will use similar methods again. So, have an updated recovery plan for the future.
You can include new privacy policies, providing security training to the employees, enforcing policies with third-party organizations, etc.
However, one of the important things to consider is to focus on educating the employees about cybersecurity key skills. This way, you can prevent human error, which is a frequent reason for a data breach to occur.