One of the biggest nightmares of many big corporation owners is a data breach. Indeed, if a cyberattack happens, there is a lot of risk of losing sensitive data, delaying one’s business operations, and decreasing traffic. In order to avoid this, a strong and reliable recovery plan should be in place.
Lucky are those who can contact a response team, such as Bulletproof cyber consulting, that can immediately come up with response plans. But those who may deal with a cyber incident by themselves should know how to ensure their data security properly. In this article, you will find tips on how to create an incident response plan at your company.
What Is a Cyber Incident Response Plan?
This is a set of instructions to help to prevent, detect, and recover from cybersecurity attacks. An incident security plan should be in place for every business, governmental, educational institution, and other places where sensitive data must be protected. A company risks losing customers, money, traffic, documents, data, and bear many other damages neglecting to create a cyber incident plan.
What Are Four Types of Cyber Attack And How to Prevent Them?
Here are some examples of cyber attacks and information on how to avoid them.
1. E-mail Phishing
This type of cyber incident is the oldest one. However, many business owners and even world-famous politicians struggle with e-mail phishing. This type of data breach happens when someone hacks an e-mail profile of one of the trusted workers and sends the messages asking to download a file containing malware.
In order to target needed businesses, hackers do tons of research about their workers.
They may even scrutinize personal data taken from social media, such as Facebook or Instagram. Not being trained enough about their cybersecurity, workers fall for the hackers’ bait and open the malicious file sent seemingly by their colleagues.
Here is the list of things you can do at your company to prevent a ransomware attack:
- A good incident response plan requires teaching all your employees to spot e-mail phishing. If a sender uses poor English, doesn’t address a receiver by name, and sends dubious links, it might be a sign of a cyber attack.
- Use the newest software to prevent malware from reaching your employees.
- Back up all your data in case someone hacks your systems.
- Never share sensitive data with untrusted receivers.
2. Malware
Malware is a software that can enter your computer and destroy or misuse your data. Here is the list of sources from which you can get malicious software:
- Opening or downloading malicious attachments sent via e-mail or social media.
- Downloading an unreliable software.
- Opening pop-ups.
- Visiting unsecured websites.
Here is the list of things you have to include in your cyber incident response plan to avoid this kind of cyber-attacks risks:
- To keep their systems safe, many businesses install anti-malware software.
- Always keep anti-malware software updated.
- Minimize clicking on dubious links and files.
- Use browsers that block pop-ups.
- Always scan flash drivers and other physical media before using them.
3. Ransomware
This type of cyber attack is very similar to a previous one. But in contrast to it, hackers also hijack your data by encrypting them. Then, they ask for money for returning access to your precious files. Yet very often, even paying thousands of dollars doesn’t guarantee that your data will be decrypted.
To prevent this type of cybersecurity attack, you should backup all the sensitive data. The list of necessary steps described in how to prevent malware attacks also concerns data hijacking risks.
4. A Watering Hole Attack
The most common victims of this type of attack are huge companies and governmental institutions. The hackers try to reveal their clients’ browsing patterns and infect the websites they visit very often. Also, they may try to imitate the trusted websites one visits regularly, and make their target click on them.
Here is the list of steps that should be included in your incident response plan in order to avoid a watering hole attack and boost your cybersecurity:
- Explain to your employees the characteristic features of a watering hole attack.
- Block traffic to all infected websites.
- Change the setting of the browsers, so they notify when one visits an insecure website.
- Inspect the most common websites your company uses.
The Bottom Line
Nowadays, prioritizing cybersecurity is crucial. Make it your number one concern. Develop a comprehensive strategy that covers all potential cyberattacks, and gain peace of mind knowing that your sensitive data is well-protected. Tools like Fastnetmon can keep your network safe and secure as they provide real-time traffic analysis, attack detection, and automated mitigation. With this guide, you’ll be equipped to steer clear of malware and enhance the security of your valuable data.