Your Guide to Data Breach Response

Data breaches have become more prominent in number and impact. That’s why a quick and decisive data breach response plan is crucial. If you want to maintain your business reputation and keep your customers’ trust, you need to know how to prevent and respond to data breaches efficiently and effectively.

This guide introduces the key steps you need to take once you notice suspicious activity.  

What to Do When You Receive a Suspicious Email?

Check out the following steps to avoid possible data breaches via suspicious emails.

Don’t click on any untrusted links

If you receive a questionable email, don’t click on any links in the message. Hackers usually create legitimate-looking links to infect your computer with malware. They often send fake emails purporting to be a well-known brand or company. Don’t trust the links sent by an unverified email address. Instead, use your browser to go to any official websites.

Inform your IT security department about the incident

Contact your company’s IT security manager and let them know about the suspicious email immediately. The potential cyber attacker may have also targeted your colleagues.

Report the email to the spoofed company

Visit the company’s website, find the page about scams and frauds involving their brand, and submit a report. You can also report it to any active anti-phishing groups.

Call the potential spoofed victim

If you recognize the email sender’s name but suspect it isn’t from them, we suggest contacting that person by phone and confirming its validity. 

How To Respond To Requests For Private Information?

If your team member or any other person asks for private information, consider the following questions before fulfilling their request.

Who is asking?

Find out whether the person who asks for the information is allowed to get access to it. If it’s an authorized person, then you can provide the requested information.

What type of information are they asking for?

Before making any disclosures, make sure you understand the type and gravity of the requested information. Is it information that can be safely shared? 

Find out the reason for the request

If the requested private information serves legitimate business purposes, then you can reveal it. So, first, ask your team member why they need to get access to the data.

Have you got the right to disclose the information?

If you aren’t sure whether you can provide access to that information, then read your company’s policies regarding it or consult with your supervisor. Refer the colleague who asks for the private information to another contact person if you aren’t authorized to fulfill the request. 

How much and what kind of information should you disclose?

Reveal only the part of the information which you are authorized to disclose.

What Should You Do After A Data Breach?

If you have discovered that a data breach has occurred in your company, follow your company’s security policy guidelines on how to deal with it. 

Below we have summarized the fundamental steps to deal with breached data.

1. If you notice any of the following incidents, report it promptly. 

• Unauthorized use, access, or exposure of information.
• Lost or stolen files, documents, security badges, or hardware.
• Erratic or suspicious computer activity, which looks like a hack or other intrusion into the company’s network.
  

2. We recommend reporting the data leakage either to your supervisor, the IT department, or your security manager.
3. Finally, always report a data breach as soon as possible.

Final Thoughts

Everyone in a company should be cautious about data security. If you recognize any signs of data leakage, don’t waste time and let the key personnel know about the incident. 

Often, a data breach concerns not only the company itself but also its customers. So, it will most probably have an impact on the company’s reputation. Finally, provide all the details about the data breach to the security department for a further proper investigation.