In an era of constantly evolving cyber threats and advancing technology, no organization is immune to the risk of a cyber attack – which is why it’s so important to develop and update your cyber incident response plan.
According to recent survey data, 53% of businesses in the US reported being the victim of a cyber attack in 2019.
That’s why having a cyber incident response plan is a vital element of any organization’s approach to business continuity.
At a glance, cyber incident response plans provide business leaders like you with proactive guidance to prevent cyber attacks, as well as reactive steps to follow if a breach occurs.
In other words, having a cyber incident response plan can help prevent attacks from happening altogether and limit the damages in the event of a worst-case scenario.
However, simply having a cyber incident response plan in place won’t guarantee cyber resilience.
Rather, it’s important for your organization to routinely revisit your plan to make necessary updates and improvements when new threats emerge.
Consider the following tips to adequately update and improve your cyber incident response plan in 2020:
Maintain Proper Documentation
Make sure your cyber risks are properly documented as a reference point for improving your incident response plan.
Keep in mind that when cyber risks or threats evolve, your response plan should follow suit.
Also, be sure to document any past cyber incidents that took place.
By doing so, you can better analyze what went wrong and adjust your incident response plan to make sure the same concern doesn’t happen again.
Prepare for Different Cyber Threat Scenarios
No cyber incident is exactly the same.
With this in mind, be sure your cyber incident response plan is multifaceted with tailored steps and preparations based on the type of attack.
A common approach is to have varying levels of response based on the severity of the breach.
For example, a phishing attack that only infected a single user and led to minimal data loss would call for a different response than a large-scale breach that resulted in significant disruption.
Test Your Cyber Security Incident Response Plan
In addition to preparing for different forms of cyber attack, it’s also crucial to routinely test your response plan with sample scenarios.
Similar to a fire drill, try to involve every employee in the process of testing your response plan.
This way, all staff members will know how they play a role, and you will be able to accurately determine the effectiveness of your plan.
From there, you can make adjustments as needed and feel more confident in your plan in the event of a real cyber attack.
In Closing
Stay up to date on the latest cyber threats and trends, and ensure you have the right protocols in place to protect your company against the threat of a cyber attack.
Unsure what your cyber exposures are? Download our Cyber Risk Exposure scorecard today to evaluate your company.
Cyber Risk Exposure Scorecard
Looking for Cyber Liability Insurance?
Fill out the form below and one of our risk advisors will be in contact.
