{"id":50778,"date":"2022-07-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/data-breach-response-5-essential-steps-to-recovery\/"},"modified":"2022-08-10T22:11:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T22:11:04","slug":"data-breach-response-5-essential-steps-to-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/data-breach-response-5-essential-steps-to-recovery\/2\/34808","title":{"rendered":"Data Breach Response: 5 Essential Steps to Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The global cost of cybercrime<\/a> is expected to grow to a staggering $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, according to Cybersecurity Ventures<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This statistic is both fascinating and scary as it reveals the ingenuity of hackers and their ability to hold the online world to ransom. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, more and more businesses have adopted remote working<\/a> and using cloud communications<\/a> platforms, such as cloud contact centers, for customer support. This has created multiple new avenues for data theft.<\/p>\n

While a data breach<\/a> can\u2019t be altogether avoided, the right response plan can help mitigate losses for a company and its customers. Here are five essential precautions to take after a data breach:<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t Improvise<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the biggest mistakes companies make in the wake of a data breach is taking impulsive action for damage control. This could be any number of things, from securing the targeted endpoints<\/a> to issuing a press release about the breach. However, a decision made while panicking is mostly reactive and will likely end up doing more harm than good.<\/p>\n

So, in the event of a data breach, the first thing to do is implement your company\u2019s incident response plan<\/a>. An incident response plan is a blueprint for businesses to navigate their movements through a crisis such as a data breach. It is carried out by a dedicated incident response team with predefined roles for each member and a clear chain of command. You can easily delegate tasks within your incident response team using voice over internet protocol (VoIP)<\/a> phone services.<\/p>\n

The incident response team oversees the following responsibilities:<\/p>\n

Identifying the Source and Extent of the Breach<\/h3>\n

The incident response team will investigate and identify what caused the data breach. For example, it could be outdated software, an open port on a firewall<\/a>, malware<\/a> in the system orchestration, a ransomware attack<\/a> or simple human error. Once the source and extent of the breach have been identified, the compromised system can be isolated to contain the damage. Server antiviruses<\/a> may play a crucial part here.<\/p>\n

Addressing Legal and Ethical Obligations<\/h3>\n

In the aftermath of a data breach, a company needs to review any legal obligations it has to fulfill. Most data breaches are bound by federal or state laws<\/a> that dictate strict timelines for disclosure of the breach to affected customers. An attorney can provide legal counsel on how much information needs to be divulged and to how many people. (Also read: <\/strong>10 Strictest Data Privacy Laws By Country in 2022<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

On this note, it\u2019s worthwhile to mention a company\u2019s ethical obligations to customers. For example, a company that has suffered a theft of credit card information may not be legally obligated to pay affected customers for credit report monitoring. However, washing their hands of the matter entirely is not advisable. How a company deals with the breach directly impacts its customer retention rate, a point every developer should bear in mind.<\/p>\n

Addressing All Public Relations and Communication Queries<\/h3>\n

Public relations (PR) and communications teams need to know exactly what information to release internally and what information to release to the public. This ensures the company maintains a consistent narrative across all channels. The PR team can use collaboration software<\/a> to share information across multiple departments in the company. They will also write any press releases and communicate to the media on behalf of the developer team and the wider business.<\/p>\n

Responding to Customer Queries<\/h3>\n

While this is not strictly developers’ responsibility, it\u2019s valuable to understand the bigger picture of the incident management process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The incident response team also addresses all customer queries. In the aftermath of a data breach, a company must maintain a degree of transparency with affected customers. The customer service team should prepare a list of expected queries using a manual tester<\/a> as part of the data breach plan. They should be able to provide timely answers to customers. Open multiple channels of communication to offer 24\/7 assistance, from live chat to online video calling.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a possibility that your customers might want to contact you directly and upgrading your office telephone system<\/a> would be a great help. (Also read: <\/strong>7 Steps to Developing a Hardware Refresh Strategy<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Conduct a Data Breach Post-Mortem<\/span><\/h2>\n

Conducting an intensive post-mortem is one of the most important steps to take after a data breach. Much like in the incident response plan, a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS)<\/a> architecture post-mortem reveals exactly what data has been compromised and from which point in the system. The most common causes of a breach include:<\/p>\n