While the increased risk of cyber-attacks, further fueled by the pandemic, is in the news daily, too many organizations continue to lag in their planning and preparedness. There are countless stories of entities across the business and societal landscape, from big corporations to hospitals to schools, navigating data breaches and other forms of cyber-attacks that put their organizations, employees and stakeholders at risk. Cybercriminals are always looking for their next target and their tactics are continually evolving. The question is how to keep one step ahead or, at the very least, to keep pace with best practices?
There are many steps and strategies to help your organization protect itself from cyber-attacks. These steps do not include waiting for a breach to occur before standing up an experienced incident response team. Nor do they include paying ransom to cybercriminals who have locked your drives and data. By submitting to a ransom demand, you are bolstering a criminal organization’s attack infrastructure and without guaranteeing restoration of your data or operations. Instead, organizations should focus on building a cyber-aware culture that works 24/7 to keep both information safe and employees on their guard against suspicious activity.
The intensity of the cybersecurity threat matrix is unlikely to diminish any time soon. Follow these steps to ensure your organization is more fully prepared:
Being prepared is your first line of defense against criminal cyber activity. If you are waiting to create a comprehensive incident response plan and culture of preparation until after a cyber incident occurs, it’s already too late. These security protocols must be developed and tested well beforehand. Locking in the best plan for your organization includes ensuring that everyone understands the protocols in event of a breach or ransomware attack, as well as their individual roles and responsibilities. An expert outside partner can help identify steps that will need to be taken, such as: