What to Do During a Data Breach

No matter how strong your defenses are, there will always be people trying to breach the security of your commercial space. They may be trying to obtain sensitive data or planning a physical breach. Either way, it’s difficult to put together a combination of defenses that will prevent every single type of attack.

That said, one of the most important aspects of security is the one people tend to overlook the most — a plan for what to do when a breach does happen. By preparing for the worst-case scenario, you can help ensure your business emerges stronger than ever after a breach. Follow these tips during a security emergency.  

What to Do Before an Office Data Breach

When it comes to office security, data breaches are a significant concern. Your business should invest in a security system to protect intellectual property and confidential customer and staff information.

To prepare for a breach, you should identify all your office’s IT assets to know what to include in a recovery plan. You should also create a response plan to make sure your team members know what to do in the event of an attack.

What to Do After Suffering a Business Data Breach

Your approach following a data breach can be the difference between defending your company’s reputation and losing valuable data to unauthorized personnel. Use the guidelines below to take control of the situation quickly.

1. Identify the Security Breach

Determining the type of security threat is the first step in figuring out how to handle a data breach. It’s possible to face one or multiple security attacks simultaneously.

Common varieties include phishing scams, device theft, compromised passwords, ransomware and social engineering plots. However, this list only scratches the surface of how a company data breach can occur.

2. Contain the Security Breach

If you identify an office security breach, you must do what you can to immediately contain it.

For this reason, early detection is key for office security. It’s vital to act quickly as soon as a data breach is discovered, but a calculated approach is necessary to prevent further access to files and data:

• Block attacker access points: Do everything you can to take physical devices off your business’s network. Ideally, you will also disconnect your company’s network to prevent threats from growing in severity.
• Provide insight to IT teams: Record any information you have on affected systems and devices. Give updates to your business’s IT staff so that they can investigate how the attack happened.
• Update passwords: Data breaches often occur after employee accounts are compromised. Resetting passwords on a company-wide basis is advised. A good rule of thumb is to update passwords every six months and set up two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security going forward.

3. Complete a Damage Evaluation

Work with your IT department and digital forensic professionals to determine the impact of the data breach. This should include how many individuals and systems were affected and whether the attack occurred internally or externally.

Completing a damage evaluation helps your organization learn from past mistakes, at the employee and software configuration levels. Uncovering these vulnerabilities is essential to safeguard your operations in the future.

4. Implement Security Changes and Resolve Vulnerabilities

If you’re wondering what a company should do after a data breach, remember to explore options for antivirus and threat-detection software. This is especially important if your company did not have these tools installed at the time of an attack. Experts in the security space can make recommendations for your devices and network configuration after hearing more about your current setup.

Once new security measures are introduced, test the new defenses for effectiveness. Focus on the strength of your network infrastructure, firewall and physical devices.

5. Notify Parties About the Data Breach

You are responsible for reporting the data breach to governing bodies within your industry. Data protection laws apply to businesses operating in the health care field, for example. Be as thorough as possible and inform parties about what happened and why. You should also explain what you are doing to solve any current security issues.

Your customers also deserve to know when their personal information has been compromised. Decide the best method for contacting customers and convey any additional steps they should complete following the attack, such as changing passwords to accounts. Verify your company is available to answer customer questions and follow-ups.

Reach out to your organization’s stakeholders so they hear about a data breach from you first. This is essential for maintaining stakeholder relationships.

Protect Your Commercial Space With Prestige Security Solutions

Prestige Security Solutions offers a variety of systems to help protect businesses from security breaches, including data security, verification and storage. We’re your source for end-to-end security solutions, and we stick to the prices we quote as long as the scope of the work remains the same throughout your project.

Contact us today to learn more about our professional security systems.