The last thing a startup wants is to suffer from a serious data breach. Unfortunately, this is something you should be expecting as a small business. Hackers are highly organized and experienced in getting through strong defenses. However, they’re smart and don’t wish to waste their resources when there’s easy prey to be found in the form of you. Larger companies can afford state of the art security systems which make it harder for cybercriminals to attack them. Small businesses are the prime target of professional hackers so beware.

Learning the Signs

Data breaches are not something you can easily avoid so it’s best to stay prepared for any such incident. The simplest and most effective defense strategy is to know about the signs of a data breach. You may be surprised to learn that countless companies remain unaware of a data breach for months or even years. That’s because the signs that point at a data breach are subtle. Anything out of the ordinary should be reported to your security department. It’s better to be safe than sorry considering how minor these signs can be. In many cases, the company is informed of the breach by third parties like law enforcement agencies, banks, reporters, etc.

Also Read: How to Check If Your VPN is Leaking Your IP Address

If you’ve setup your computer system in a certain way, there should not be any noticeable changes unless you make them yourself. Since a handful of people have access to the administrator account, it’s not hard to stay updated about changes. Always keep a record of every website or application an employee has signed up for using your company’s system. There should not be any random platforms demanding your private information. Keep an eye out for customer complaints about strange spam from your end. Take reports of your anti-virus seriously. If your computer system appears out of your control in any way, it’s probably been hacked.

Clear Plan of Action

You cannot afford to be caught unawares by a data breach so always have a strategy to defend yourself quickly and efficiently.

Setup a Response Team

Allocate duties to reliable members of your staff. This team should be trained to work in sync to organize the data breach recovery process. These employees will be leading others with a carefully planned step by step protocol in crisis. Your response team must be capable of handling matters both inside and outside your company. They should inform everyone involved of the issue and further delegate duties so that the damage maybe contained. They will be responsible for management before, during and after a data breach.

Disconnect Equipment

Just like infected tissue has to be operated on to stop disease from spreading into the human body, you need to cut off compromised computers from the rest of your system. There’s a chance that the hackers have not yet reached some parts. Most importantly, the hacker’s source of access to your system should be taken care of first. Identifying the source on your own also gives the forensic experts a place to begin their investigation.

Trace the Hackers’ Steps

You might be able to locate the exact location where the hackers broke into your system but don’t attempt to fix anything on your own. A cybercrime has been committed so contact your lawyer immediately. They will get in touch with a forensic professional who will take care of the problem with their technical expertise. Make sure to leave things as they are so that the important evidence doesn’t get corrupted in any way. They can tell you how and what happened exactly by reading the trail of the hackers.

Assess the Damage

The forensic expert will provide a breakdown of the situation bluntly so you are well aware of what occurred. Your response team can work under their guidance to understand the extent of the damage. A detailed report of the incident explaining the damage will help everyone ready themselves for data breach recovery. You have to know how badly you’ve been hit and if anyone connected directly to your company was affected.

Notify Concerned Parties

Once you have a list of all the people whose security has been compromised by the security breach at your end, inform them of the incident. The safety of your clients should always come first. They may have even less protection than you and might lose a lot more than you did. Anyone who has a stake in your company must be kept updated about new developments. Your response team should be particularly active in this regard. They will be your connection to those outside the company until this matter is resolved.

Also Read: How to Check Your Torrent IP Address

Offer Compensation

Besides informing those concerned of the security breach, you have to maintain a good relationship with them. Since you’re in this together, it’s important to reassure them of your cooperation. Try to compensate them in whatever way you can and value the trust they have placed in your brand.

Precautionary measures

Data breaches are not uncommon and they can happen to anyone so you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. At the same time, working on prevention will give you more confidence to face such an emergency.

Reliable security best VPNs

Admittedly, small businesses don’t generate enough profit to afford expensive security. Still, you should try to erect a strong defense against all kinds of hackers. Consider the best VPNs to ensure security online and install powerful antivirus software.

Staff Training

Besides your response team, your entire staff needs to be trained to identify the signs of a data breach. It would be perfect if you carry out drills every now and then to minimize panic in a state of emergency.

Regular Checks

You might be able to catch a data breach via regular security scans. Monitoring your computer system while on the lookout for an anomaly is an excellent precaution. You may hire a professional for in depth periodic security sweeps.

Staying prepared for the worst is the key to handling a sudden data breach in your system.