Harris KhanA data breach is one of the greatest challenges businesses and individuals face, especially now that sensitive and confidential data is used, shared, and kept online.
A data breach or information spillage is a security incident that involves unauthorized access to confidential data. For example, such access could be gained by illegal cyber activity through compromised user passwords. The mishandling of paper documents containing sensitive information is another way in which private information might become public.
Here are five actions on how to deal with a data breach:
1. Identify and Stop the Breach
The first action to take is to identify where there has been a security violation. Common causes of breaches are an intrusion by an outsider, weak security settings, process errors, and even malicious insiders. Sometimes, a company’s security measures do not notice the initial breach, and it can spread across networks because of similar vulnerabilities.
Contain the breach by isolating the affected systems and closing off entry points. In addition, systems administrators should perform forensics and monitor incoming traffic to look for anomalies and suspicious activity. Companies must also stop any potential breaches by scanning internal systems for vulnerabilities that the intruder could exploit.
Once the breach is contained, reformat the drives that the compromised system was on as well as its backup drives. In some cases, reformatting can take as long as a month to be effective, so companies must plan and investigate alternative steps if they need to get back online quickly.
2. Assess the Damage
The next step is to assess what damage has been done as a result of the data breach. This requires that one learn how private information was accessed and exploited by an intruder or insider. Then steps must be taken to determine whether any threats were already sent out and if there was a loss of customer trust or other business implications. These steps should also help companies decide on the subsequent actions to take, such as publicity, risk assessment, and mitigating the risks.
3. Notify Authorities and Affected Parties
After a company knows it has been affected by a breach, the next step is to notify authorities and any other parties that may be affected. Notify the appropriate authorities immediately – law enforcement or state regulators – for a formal investigation under governmental surveillance. This notification should also include disclosure of the breach to customers, business partners, vendors, and other stakeholders who might be affected by it.
Companies may also want to consider public relations representatives for assistance during this time. They should disclose all updates about the data breach. The disclosure should always include information on what actions should be taken by both compromised individuals and the company itself in order to remediate the situation.
4. Remediate Damage and Reduce Future Risks
After assessing the damage, companies should start working on how to avoid future risks. Remediation after a data breach can include changing passwords, ensuring that users’ accounts are enabled for two-factor authentication, and installing anti malware or antivirus software.
If the breach was due to employees using weak passwords or sharing their credentials with others outside the company, then active authentication measures might be used instead. On the other hand, if a system glitch or hardware failure caused the incident, improved backups could help mitigate any future problems.
5. Claim Data Breach Compensation
Filing for data breach compensation is a vital step in the process of handling a data breach. This helps ensure that any expenses incurred as a result of the breach can be claimed and reimbursed by all parties who might be adversely affected by it due to lost money or reputation. Companies should also check their insurance policies to see if they cover such eventualities.
Legal advice from experts will help companies determine whether they qualify for compensation under current law, which differs from country to country and changes over time as new laws evolve.
In order to handle a data breach, one must first learn about possible vulnerabilities and the reasons for them. And with these five actions, companies can better address the challenges surrounding data breaches to mitigate their risks.
