Cybersecurity 
No, jailbreaking your iPhone is not safe and can result in your personal information being stolen, your phone becoming infected with malware and your software malfunctioning.
Some organizations might think they’re saving money by not investing in proper cybersecurity solutions, but one data breach could bankrupt a company.
In fact, the average cost of a data breach has reached an all-time high of $4.35 million, according to a 2022 report by IBM and the Ponemon institute. Companies must take measures to secure their data and avoid potentially dire financial consequences.
A strong security posture can help prevent a cyber attack, but what do you do if a data breach does happen? Use this guide to help you navigate through the steps to follow after your business has suffered a data breach.
1. Determine the Source of the Breach
Locate the area that was breached and determine its vulnerabilities. Weak access points should prompt you to strengthen your data security to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your network.
Once your team has determined that a security breach has occurred, assemble your response team and have a point person delegate roles and responsibilities to contain the breach. This person is typically the company’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or similar.
2. Alert the Authorities
For companies located in the U.S., it may be a good idea to get in touch with Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Depending on the severity of the breach, the IC3 team will forward your report to federal, state, local or international law enforcement. Alternatively, you can alert the FBI.
3. Contain the Breach
After you have identified the systems and devices that were affected by the breach, freeze any compromised accounts, disable affected devices and take your network offline to prevent threat actors from moving laterally and causing further damage.
4. Notify the Victims
Work with legal counsel to discuss the best way to notify any victims affected by the data breach. Victims may include team members, customers or other stakeholders. Collaborating with your legal team is crucial to ensure that you’re following applicable breach notification laws, such as the GDPR.
Be transparent with the victims and provide regular updates as the situation progresses. Customers, team members and other stakeholders may be seeking information across multiple platforms, so it may be necessary to communicate the message across several channels such as social media, email and your company’s website.
Additionally, companies should consider assembling a crisis management team to mitigate any reputational damage that may arise from a breach. According to a report by Forbes and IBM, 46% of organizations have suffered reputational damage due to a data breach.
5. Damage Control and Continuous Monitoring
After the breach is contained, use forensic investigative techniques to determine the cause, and if applicable, adjust your security controls to prevent similar incidents. For example:
| Cause of Data Breach | Potential Solution |
|---|---|
| An employee clicked on a hyperlink in a phishing email. | Educate your employees on how to spot a phishing email. |
| Weak passwords were compromised. | Use a password manager that offers a password generation tool that creates unique, complex passwords and enables you to implement zero-trust security. |
| A former employee had access to sensitive information and intentionally caused the breach. | Ensure that user accounts are disabled immediately when employees leave the company. |
This is also a good time to evaluate how well your data breach response plan worked and adjust or refine it if necessary.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is liable when a data breach occurs?
In a cloud environment, the data owner is held liable for any losses resulting from a data breach.
How long does it take to recover from a data breach?
According to IBM’s Cost of Data Breach Report, it takes 80 days to recover from a data breach on average. The report found that the healthcare and financial industries had the longest data breach lifecycle at 329 days and 233 days, respectively.
Can my employees check if their credentials are on the dark web?
Yes, your employees can check to see if their credentials are available on the dark web by using a dark web monitoring tool.
