Can Your Business Survive Being Hacked?

Can Your Business Survive Being Hacked?

Find out how you should respond to being hacked.

Cybercriminals and data thieves are experts at exploiting the vulnerabilities of notebooks and tablets. Data breaches and intrusions reported by businesses of all sizes are at an all time high. Could your company recover from identity theft, stolen competitive information, or compromised customer data?

Investigate and verify the attack

It’s important to have an incident response team in place that can immediately swing into action following a cyberattack. Quick response is the key to limiting damages. According to a Ponemon Institute study, leveraging an incident response team was the single biggest factor associated with reducing the cost of a data breach — saving companies nearly $400,000 on average. Here are the first, critical steps your team should take:

  • Identify the compromised systems
  • Investigate IP addresses used in the attack
  • Determine the type of attack, e.g., virus, malware, unauthorized access, etc.

Once you know the details of the threat or vulnerability, you can immediately warn other users on the network and inform them what type of attack to look for and how to avoid it.

Mitigate and isolate the damage

Don’t panic and shut down your entire network, disrupting your business operations and risking missed deadlines, angry customers, and damage to your company reputation. Instead, get busy isolating and mitigating damage to affected systems.

Don’t hesitate to notify customers and stakeholders of the attack. It’s better to admit to a data breach up front rather than keep the attack a secret. Should news get out that you’ve tried to hide or cover up a security breach, your company’s integrity could take a big hit.

Quarantine all infected computers or impacted applications on the network. By isolating affected systems, you can contain the damage and prevent any virus or malware from spreading. Your incident response team should also look for backdoors that hackers may have set up to get into your system in the future. If vendors, customers, or suppliers have been hacked, block all access from these accounts until security issues have been resolved.

Plug the holes, spread the word

Change company-wide passwords for access to any systems that were affected, and install clean data and software backups, preferably from off-site devices not connected to your network. Make sure there are no default “admin” or other obvious usernames and passwords in place that could allow hackers back in. Then, spread the word: Take steps to ensure all employees are trained in basic cybersecurity procedures and policies, such as keeping passwords secure, not sharing personal information, and avoiding emailed links and downloads.

Get the best protection for endpoint devices

By now, you’ve probably figured out that the best way to survive a data breach is not to have one. Endpoint devices have become the latest target, and attacks against notebooks and desktops increased by 132 percent in 2016 alone. That’s why it’s essential to strengthen endpoint security by replacing old, outdated, or insecure devices with notebooks and tablets equipped with multiple levels of protection to help secure your company’s valuable data assets.

About the Author

Jerry Young is the Principal Solution Architect at MNJ Technologies.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.