There are few words that can instill a level of panic for security directors or CISOs like “data security breach.” It can send a shiver down the spine and sweat across the brow. Unfortunately, breaches happen, and often times, they are high-profile data breaches. So, you know that security nightmare that keeps you up at 3 am? What would you do if it actually happened?

Get Prepared

We all know the best way to prevent a data breach is to be prepared. But, go a step further and ask yourself if you are confident that you are doing everything to cover your bases? There are a myriad tools to protect your data and hackers are often one step ahead of you on all of them. Cyber threat intelligence is the best way to understand what is going on in your environment —it gives you specific, in-depth information, and helps you be prepared to mitigate risk to your network. Budgets are tight and staff management can be difficult, but your role is to be sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit together to create a united security front.

Publicity Nightmare

One of the worst things about a security breach is the public shame. Especially if someone outside the company discovers it before you. This type of vulnerability and public embarrassment can end careers. So, how do you handle it? That is partially a question of personal integrity. But it is also an opportunity for improvement. First, be honest—with your bosses, your employees, and the public. Trying to sweep it under the rug typically backfires and damages your reputation. Next, do everything you can to secure the dam and stop the data flow. Finally, quickly step up your cyber security, implement threat intelligence, and improve employee training. Be sure that your staff knows how to handle and respond to a real-life threat. Knowing how to protect data against a threat is great, but your team must also know how to conduct themselves if a breach does occur.

The Aftermath

While it is obvious that no one wants to deal with a high-level data breach, how you respond to the situation can go a long way. Honesty, integrity, and transparency will help instill faith in how you handle the situation. Once you have handled the initial data leak, you must look at any and all legal implication from the breach. This requires collaboration with your legal department, executive team, and possibly board members. Having a strong organization-wide team is imperative to addressing breach-related issues once one has occurred.

Looking Ahead… and Behind

Once you are ready to move forward, be sure to look back and see what you could have done better. Data breaches offer many learning opportunities, so don’t march ahead blindly without examining what went wrong. Not only will this help you secure the fort in the future, but it will also provide you with a “dos and don’ts” list for incidence response.

If you need help with threat intelligence and data security, keep reading to learn how to prevent your worst nightmare from occurring.