How to prepare your organisation for a cyber attack: A guide to continuity and incident management
It may sound alarming to say "prepare for the worst", but working proactively on cybersecurity in your organisation – including through continuity and incident management – is crucial for minimising the impact of future security incidents. Here we take a closer look at how you can prepare your business so that you are ready in the event of a cyber attack.
Develop an incident response plan
What do we do if – or when – an attack occurs? An incident response plan outlines how the organisation should react to a cyber attack, so that everyone knows what to do to minimise damage and quickly restore normal operations.
The handling plan should include:
- Identification of suspicious activity
Establish clear processes for quickly detecting abnormal activity and security incidents. This includes both guidelines for what constitutes an incident and the use of technical monitoring tools such as SIEM and EDR/XDR. - Who to contact
Define who should be contacted, through which channels, and what information should be included in the reporting. - Containment and isolation
Describe measures to limit damage, such as disconnecting infected devices and enabling network segmentation. - Team structure and responsibilities
Establish roles and responsibilities for key individuals during an incident to avoid confusion or delays in a crisis situation. - Preservation of evidence and analysis
Include methods for securing digital evidence for follow-up and analysis, such as logging, traceability, and encryption of evidence materials. - Internal and external communication
Establish clear guidelines for how employees, customers, authorities, and other relevant stakeholders should be informed – and how information should be handled to prevent leaks. - Recovery and restoration
Define the steps to return to normal operations after an incident. - Testing and updating
Just as a fire drill, the incident handling plan should be regularly tested to ensure everyone knows what to do. Update the plan regularly to keep pace with new threats, requirements, and needs.
Ensure that the plan is easily accessible, and that all relevant parties know where to find it, so it can be quickly implemented if necessary.
A well-developed continuity plan can minimise downtime, protect critical information, and contribute to a quicker return to normal operations after a cyber attack.
Develop a continuity plan
A continuity plan is essential to ensure that the business can continue to operate during and after a cyber attack. This plan should supplement the incident management plan and focus on maintaining critical functions.
The continuity plan should include:
- Mapping of critical processes and resources
Identify which parts of the business are crucial for operations and need protection. This allows prioritisation of efforts where they have the greatest impact.
- Alternative solutions
Develop alternative working methods and processes that can be used during an ongoing crisis, such as manual routines or backup systems. - Recovery procedures
Plan how systems and data can be restored. This includes information about backups, recovery points, and prioritisation of different systems. - Return to normal operations
Define what controls and verifications must be conducted before the systems are used again. - Contact information for key personnel
Document how to quickly reach internal and external collaborators, such as IT providers and legal advisors – even if the email system is not working. - Scenario exercises
Conduct regular tests to reveal weaknesses in the plan and make necessary adjustments based on new threats and experiences.
A continuity plan is essential to ensure that the business can continue to operate during and after a cyber attack. This plan should complement the incident management plan and focus on maintaining critical functions.
Increase knowledge and engagement among employees
Technical security measures are important, but it is the employees who constitute the first line of defence against cyber attacks. Threats such as phishing and social engineering exploit human weaknesses – not just technical vulnerabilities.
- Cybersecurity training
Train employees on how to recognise common threats and suspicious activity, as well as how to report this. - IT usage guidelines
Establish clear rules for how the company's systems and resources should be used to reduce the risk of human error. - Build a security culture
When employees understand their responsibility for cybersecurity and feel engaged, the likelihood of threats being detected and reported on time increases.
Work for understanding, engagement, and a culture where safety is everyone's responsibility.
Establish strategic partnerships
A close collaboration with an IT partner with expertise in cybersecurity provides access to expertise and resources that can supplement your internal security skills.
In addition to providing technical solutions and support, an experienced IT partner keeps you updated on new threats and best practices for managing them.
Nordlo helps you establish a proactive cybersecurity effort by strengthening and tailoring systems, solutions, and technology. Our goal is to ensure that your business always has an updated and robust defence in an ever-changing threat landscape.
