What to Do During a Cyber Attack

During a Cyberattack: The Immediate Response

Understanding the necessary steps to take during a cyberattack can be the critical difference between minor disruption and catastrophic loss. When faced with such challenges, a company’s immediate response can significantly mitigate damages, protect sensitive information, and preserve its reputation. After you have activated a response team to help with the incident, here are some other ways in which to act swiftly and strategically during a cyber incident.  

How to Handle a Cyberattack While It’s Happening

1. Activate Your Response Team: Upon detecting any unusual activity or security breach, the very first action should be to mobilize your response team. Comprising experts in IT, cybersecurity, public relations, and possibly legal advisors, this team is your first line of defense against the cyber threats. Their primary responsibility is to assess, control, and communicate about the cyber incident in real-time.
2. Isolate the Affected Systems: Each minute during a cyberattack is crucial. Ensuring that the compromised systems are quickly isolated can prevent the spread of malware, ransomware, or any malicious entity further into your network. This is especially vital if the breach is still ongoing, as halting its progress can limit data loss and system damage. It also prevents any potential extraction of sensitive information from the system.
3. Documentation is Key: While the chaos of dealing with a cyberattack unfolds, it’s easy to overlook the importance of documentation. However, recording every detail of the incident – from the time it was first noticed, the nature of the anomaly, any displayed messages by the attackers, to the steps taken during the incident response – is of paramount importance. Not only does this provide a clear timeline of events for post-incident analysis, but it also serves as a legal record if there’s a need for law enforcement involvement or potential lawsuits.
4. Engage in Real-time Communication: As the cyber incident unfolds, clear and concise communication becomes paramount. Inform key stakeholders, including upper management and essential departments, about the ongoing situation. This ensures everyone is on the same page and can act in a coordinated manner. If employees are aware of the situation, they can also take necessary precautions on their end, like not accessing compromised systems.
5. Backup Data Immediately: If possible, and if it doesn’t exacerbate the situation, start backing up critical data immediately. While it’s essential to have regular backups as part of your cybersecurity protocol, an additional backup during a cyberattack can capture the most recent data before the attack.
6. Contact Law Enforcement and External Experts: Depending on the severity and nature of the attack, consider reaching out to law enforcement agencies. Cybercrimes, especially those that involve ransom demands or the theft of sensitive information, can have broader implications. Moreover, external cybersecurity firms can offer specialized expertise in dealing with specific types of attacks and can assist in neutralizing advanced threats.
7. Secure Alternate Communication Channels: In cases where communication tools such as corporate emails or internal messaging systems are compromised, having alternative communication channels ready is essential. Whether it’s encrypted messaging apps or direct phone calls, these channels ensure continuous communication even amidst the crisis.
8. Monitor and Analyze: Utilize all available network monitoring tools to observe the cyber incident in real-time. This allows the response team to identify the origin of the attack, its nature, and potentially find ways to counteract it.