As a business owner, if you ever suspect a security breach in your system, do not hesitate to begin an investigation immediately. Security breaches are on the rise, and no business is excluded from this risk. Whether you are a small-sized, one-man-owned company or an established business with subsidiaries around the globe, you could be a target for a data breach situation.
So, you just learned that the security of your business has been breached. What is the next thing to do? Whether it is the work of a hacker from an external environment looking for some of your corporate data or an Insider from your company, the next steps you take are huge determinants in your business.
In this guide, we have outlined some smart steps to take when there is a business security breach in your organization.
Verify the Cause
The first thing you want to do is identify the cause of the breach and the extent. How bad is it? What information was taken? What data is compromised? Most importantly, how did the breach happen? Only when you have successfully answered these questions would you be able to get clarity about the next step to take.
Every business should have an intrusion protection system (IPS). With this system, events like security breaches are automatically logged into the system. This log will show you the source of the breach, the files that were accessed, and the actions that the hacker took.
Follow Your Business’ Emergency Plan:
Every proactive company has an emergency plan for situations like this. If your company does not have this, then it should be done immediately. In an ideal working environment, there should be a crisis simulation. You can arrange for a crisis and test the software and implements in place to check their functionality. To check the data breach security more thoroughly, you can run a live simulation which is a surprise situation where data has been compromised, and the response team has to follow the security protocol. If this is a regular practice within your company, when an actual breach occurs, employees know exactly what to do.
Work With Authorities
A few important parties need to be notified appropriately after a security breach such as law enforcement and legal authorities. The federal authorities may have some crucial instructions for adhering to post-breach regulatory standards for your industry. By reaching out to these federal authorities, they will automatically become involved in the situation, thereby making it safer for everyone.
Another important personnel to alert is your Breach Task Force. This would be a team of IT experts in your company that is tasked with the responsibility of handling the security of the company.
Usually, the first assignment is to salvage the situation and bring up a quick fix for it. An IT team would know exactly what to do for your company and will help you get the situation under control in no time. There might also be some legal requirements. If the breach involved personal information, you might need to notify legal authorities. If the breach involved personal health records, then you might need to notify some parties like the FTC, HIPAA, and HHS.
Let Herring Technology Strengthen Your Alarm System
How strong is your security system? Don’t be the organization that is nonchalant about your security, as this can have drastic, long-term effects.
If you are looking to take your security systems seriously, then Herring Technology is the right place to start. We work personally with our clients to create solutions that are tailored to suit their business needs.
We have a wide project scope, and we offer numerous security services. Whether it is the installation of a basic security camera you need or full-on surveillance technology, we have got you covered. We undertake all scopes of projects in both residential and commercial settings.
Ready to take your business security to the next level? Contact us today.
