Security incidents have, sadly, become all-too-common occurrences. Between November 2023 and April 2024, more than 2,700 incidents were reported affecting almost 7 trillion known records, according to IT Governance USA. Many security incidents are never reported, so these staggering statistics represent only the tip of the iceberg.
While organizations should implement aggressive strategies to prevent cyberattacks, they should also recognize that prevention is not always possible. Zero-day vulnerabilities, supply chain attacks and advanced persistent threats are notoriously difficult to detect and block.
That’s why it’s important to have an incident response plan. The plan covers the steps the organization will take if and when a security incident occurs. When key people understand their roles and responsibilities, they are able to act quickly to minimize the damage.
A data breach assessment is a critical component of any incident response plan. The assessment is designed to determine if a breach has occurred, the scope of the breach and other details that help guide response.
Understand Data Breach Reporting Requirements
There are many types of security incidents, not all of which involve sensitive data. A data breach is a specific type of incident in which unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers or bank account details. A data breach may also involve the exposure of an organization’s confidential information, such as intellectual property, customer records or financial data.
A data breach isn’t just a problem for the victim organization. It can upend the lives of individuals whose information is stolen or exposed. In light of that, numerous government and industry regulations require organizations to notify them and the affected individuals. Many states also have data breach notification requirements.
Organizations may also have legal obligations to report data breaches to their customers, vendors or partners. Public companies have reporting requirements under SEC rules. Many legal and regulatory reporting requirements have extremely short deadlines, so organizations must act quickly.
Conduct an Assessment Promptly
When an organization discovers or suspects that a data breach has occurred, it should first act to contain the breach and limit the damage. IT teams should work quickly to determine if the breach is ongoing and take steps to shut down or block the activity. This should be done without destroying evidence that could help the organization identify the root cause of the breach and what can be done to reduce risk.
The next step is to conduct a data breach assessment. IT teams should determine the cause and scope of the breach and the type of information involved in the incident. The assessment should be performed quickly and analyzed in the context of any applicable reporting requirements.
IT teams should also consider the nature of the harm to affected individuals and try to recover the data or stop its exposure. For example, if data has been publicly posted to a website, the organization should ensure that it’s removed.
Get Expert Help
The laws and regulations involved will determine whether the data breach needs to be reported, who needs to be notified and the timeframe involved. Organizations should not assume that they have 30 days or more for notification. Certain industries are required to notify affected individuals within days or even hours.
Organizations should immediately contact legal counsel for help in navigating the requirements, and utilize the services of a forensic investigator to help with the data breach analysis. A qualified managed services provider (MSP) can also assist in this process, helping to determine what caused the breach, what systems were accessed and how to shut down the attack.
The Verteks security team is here to help if your organization suffers a data breach. Contact us quickly for a confidential consultation.