The Dangers of not Preparing for a Cyber Attack

Cyber security is a constantly evolving threat for all types of businesses. With new types of attacks, no organisation is immune from cyber criminals. According to NCSC Breach report 2023, 32% of businesses and 24% of charities experienced some form of cyber-attack or known breach in the previous 12 months.  

Yet, despite the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks, many businesses remain largely unprepared to defend against them. This lack of readiness not only leaves businesses vulnerable to financial losses but also exposes them to significant reputational and legal cost. In this article, we delve into the urgent need for businesses to prioritise cybersecurity preparedness and the vital role it plays in business continuity. 

Understanding Cyber Risk  

Cyber-attacks come in various forms, including malware infections, social engineering attacks (including phishing), ransomware assaults, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and AI powered threats such as deep-fakes. Ransomware remains a common threat, with cybercriminals leveraging encryption techniques to hold organisations' data hostage until a ransom is paid. As highlighted in a January 2024 report by the NCSC, AI is predicted to only increase the volume and impact of cyber-attacks such as ransomware in the near term.  

Preparation is Key  

The Importance of Incident Response

Effective incident response is crucial for minimising the impact of cyber-attacks and swiftly restoring normal operations. Without a robust incident response strategy in place, organisations risk extended periods of downtime, data loss, and further compromise of their systems. Moreover, delayed, or inadequate incident response can exacerbate the financial and reputational fallout of a cyber-attack. As an NCSC Assured Provider for Cyber Incident Exercising (CIE), PureCyber has extensive experience in assessing an organisation’s ability to prevent, detect, contain, and remediate an incident. Throughout this process we will guide you through the best approach and level of response for your business.  

Structure vs Flexibility 

Within an organisations approach to incident response, the ultimate aim is to create a process that blurs the lines between structure and flexibility. If an incident response plan becomes too structured, teams can sometimes become bound by strict processes. If an incident response plan is too flexible and hasn’t been tested, teams can become directionless in the face of a major incident. This is why, by conducting incident response simulations, an organisation can fine tune a response process that meets the needs of the company and balances their risk appetite.   

Employee Awareness 

Whilst it is referenced as a critical component of preparedness with them being the first line of defence for identifying potential issues, employee awareness is just as important when it comes to incident response processes. In the event of a major incident, it is crucial that all users understand elements of the incident response process. Initial identification, structured lines of communication and escalation points throughout an incident response process help an organisation to improve their cyber security posture. Those involved in the incident response process need an awareness of the policies/plan in place, those within the wider organisation will need to know how they are impacted in potential situations. This component can extend to external third-parties whereby they need an acknowledgement of their actions in an incident. As well as testing this within an incident response exercise, organisation can conduct phishing simulations to ensure they are aware of how to identify potential threats.  

Good Governance  

Following on from the reference to structure vs flexibility, the need for good governance, alongside technical solutions, is key to creating a strong incident response process. Regular risk assessments and internal audits help to identify critical assets and datasets, which in turn helps an organisation to prioritise incident response activities. Good governance can help to identify what data is being held, how the data is used and what current controls are in place around it.  

Added Extras  

Testing an incident response process is important for all organisations regardless of size but it’s also important that businesses have a proactive approach to cyber security by implementing layers of control. By conducting services such as penetration testing and vulnerability scanning organisations can gain information around their weaknesses and critical data sets. This can be fed into an incident response process as an attack against a particular area of the business may have a different approach based on an organisations risk appetite, the criticality of the event and the known weaknesses. To create a comprehensive incident response approach, organisations should look to implement a muti-layered approach to cyber security that includes technical, governance and user awareness paradigms. A multi-faceted solution is the best way to fully understand your cyber security risk and create a strong incident response process.  

Next Steps 

The dangers of not preparing for a cyber-attack cannot be underestimated. By investing in robust and cost-effective measures such as incident response, penetration testing and employee awareness, businesses can bolster their defence against cyber-attacks and mitigate the cost of a cyber breach.  

Ultimately, the consequences of cyber security complacency for organisations far exceeds the investment needed to protect against the latest threats.  

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