How to Prepare and Prevent a Data Security Breach

Even the businesses that are well prepared and protected against frauds and cyber-attacks may find itself in the role of a data hack victim. Stolen customer information, leaked employee insurance records and password troubles are very common challenges among data protection departments. Preventing unfortunate events and making decisions now, when you can think calmly about the best steps to take is preferable, rather than making fixes and being anxious after a fallout. Follow these steps to create and get your data security process in place:

Risk assessments and gaps

First and most important - you need to understand what you're working with and what can potentially rise to an incident. To answer these questions, you have to focus on three of your biggest assets: your team, your data and your IT support systems. Keep an eye of employees that recently left the company and may hold onto a grudge, as well as the overall behaviour of current staff. If it's not in line with the company's values, then you have to make core drastic changes in terms of training and prioritising the importance of data security. Chart and locate where your sensitive data flows and with whom it's being shared. In the end, evaluate the status of your systems and applications as well as the potential scenarios that may occur.

Response development and reporting

Almost every state legally requires companies to notify law enforcement, customers, employees or other groups if their data has been exposed or leaked, so make sure to be familiar with those requirements. Some may require that a company informs customers of a breach via electronic communication, and others require coordination with credit or banking agencies. Create a to-do list for which entities you must notify if you have a violation and the methods needed for reaching them. You must have a developed, documented and tested procedure for incident response. The plan should specifically describe how you will address each incident class - from initial detection and handling to lessons learned. Make sure to test and simulate your response plan at least quarterly.

Malware reverse training

If you can get your hands on the tools that used your attackers, it's a no brainer to study and understand the concept as much as you are able. This will help you not only to know how this attack occurred but will provide you with the critical insight you can use to help prevent future breaches. While many hackers opt for methods like phishing stolen data and using legit admin tools to progress their attack, malware still plays a big role in data attacks, especially when attacking the support and sale systems.

Follow and stay alert on the trends in threats

It's vital to stay up to date on the latest cybercriminal updates, techniques and trends so you can nurture a proactive instead of reactive approach. Industries like banking, betting and casino gaming invest a lot in the latest security systems and platform updates. Besides paying attention to the security system and encryption elements, these industries tweak their offers and marketing campaigns so they can convince potential players in their fair play and transparency. For example, in the European and UK gaming market, the most common lead generating strategies are free spins, no deposit bonus UK offers, and demo games. This way, you can inspect the reliability of the platform before you register and fill your data.

Follow the relevant news updates and if you want to go a step further, create a team that will be specialised for preventing and predicting cyber attacks, similar to those we've seen in the action and sci-fi movies. Having access to a provider specialised in global cyber intelligence and 24/7 staffed security operators is a far more practical option in the long run.

Conclusion

Businesses should continuously evaluate, test and tweak their backup processes. Develop plans that allow continuing the operations while the breach is being resolved and security weaknesses addressed. Building awareness, educating and preparing small businesses for possible attacks are important elements of the process. Consider tools that make remote work possible, and allows employees to access documents and systems securely from a cloud-based service or shared platform.