Head thumping, heart racing? Here’s how not to panic when you’re under cyber attack

No incident response plan? We can help you there…

Promo You know the symptoms – a sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach, tingling in the fingers, blood thumping in the temples as time slows to a crawl. Realizing you’re facing a full-on cyber attack can feel horribly visceral, even if the attackers are virtual.

So just where do you start if you and your organization come under attack? Don’t panic, goes without saying. Taking a deep breath might help you collect your thoughts while you decide your next move. But what really counts is being able to turn to a well-rehearsed incident response plan.

This will give you the playbooks you need to deal with the attack in question, a list of the key team members you need to pull in, and the other stakeholders you need to inform as you swing into action.

It will also point you to the post incident work you need to put in motion to ensure the threat has been thoroughly dealt with, that there are no payloads or unclosed entry points still lurking in your systems, and how to ensure it doesn’t occur again. Because that nasty attack you’ve just seen off could actually be just the opening feint in a far more destructive onslaught in the very near future.

Ah, but what if you don’t have an incident response plan? Or if it’s been hidden in a drawer for five years and you’re worried it’s a little out of date? Well, we can help you there, because Sophos has produced a detailed guide on how to assemble your own state of the art Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan.

It walks through everything from the identifying critical assets and key stakeholders, through running table top exercises and putting protection measures in place, to establishing your response actions during the attack and beyond.

But what if you’re worried about being attacked while you’re still putting your full plan in place? Well, check out Sophos’ list of Four Key Tips from Incident Response Experts. We won’t give the whole game away, but number four is particularly important – remember it’s ok to ask for help.

Sadly, cyber attacks are inevitable these days, and over half of organization were hit by ransomware attacks last year alone. Having the right tools and systems to detect and defend against attackers is a large part of the battle, but by having a clear response plan, you and your colleagues can bypass the “what do we do stage” and taking targeted action to protect your organisation.

Brought to you by Sophos