What is Data Breach..?

A data breach is when hackers break into a company’s computer system and steal personal information. This can include names, addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, email addresses, or passwords. These are all things that cyber-criminals can use to commit identity theft or fraud against the victim’s bank account. If your company has been hacked this year and you want to minimize the risks of a data breach in the future read on!

Because organizations are increasingly global, data breaches have the potential to damage your brand regardless of where they occur. Unlike other forms of corporate catastrophe, which can be suffered by any competitor regardless of their size or industry, data breaches are more difficult to exploit by smaller organizations because they are not capable of stealing the same amount of data.

Data Breach is something that affects every organization, but what can be done to prevent it?

Like other forms of corporate catastrophe, this requires business continuity planning that includes a plan for dealing with security breaches in terms of response and recovery activities. This also entails that you have contingency plans in place just like any disaster type so your company is ready if the worst should happen! A disruption caused by hackers accessing confidential information on their systems can cause serious damage to both companies’ brands as well as potential lawsuits from clients who may feel insecure about sharing personal or financial details with an organization after experiencing such a breach.

A Data Breach Response Plan sets out how your organization will respond in an emergency that involves the loss or theft of confidential data.

A Data Breach Response Plan should include:

  • A list of contacts for employees, clients, and other stakeholders – An outline on how you will inform them about the event.
  • The steps to take in order to control possible damage caused by a breach
  • How you will let everyone know when it’s safe to start using their computer systems again

The key thing with any plan is being prepared so have your response strategy mapped out just like any disaster type! Being proactive rather than reactive can save time, money, and most importantly reputation!

How can Data Breach be avoided?

The best way to avoid a data breach is with strong security software, strict policies, and procedures as well as regular audits.

– Make sure your employees are aware of the importance of protecting sensitive information by making them sign confidentiality agreements – make it clear that any violation will result in disciplinary action or termination if necessary!

– Train staff on how to identify possible hacking attempts from criminals – this includes everything from malware infections to suspicious emails. They should also be educated about phishing scams that try and trick people into giving away their login details for banking websites. This often involves clicking on links within an email or opening attachments they shouldn’t so ensuring all employees recognize what these look like can drastically reduce the risk of something going wrong.

There are also a number of other steps you can take to ensure the safety and security of your company’s data including:

–  Encrypting sensitive information so that if it is lost or stolen, hackers will not be able to use it. However, this only works as long as they don’t have access to the encryption key which could prove difficult if their individual passwords are particularly strong!

– Implement software such as firewalls on all computers across your network in order to protect them from outside sources such as viruses and malware infections. This includes encrypting any external hard drives used by staff just like those at home – remember that these devices still pose risk even when employees aren’t using them inside work hours If an employee does happen to suffer a data breach because of a lost or stolen device, make sure you have this covered by your IT insurance policy.

– Ensure that all software is regularly updated to protect against new types of viruses and malware attacks that are constantly emerging. These can be particularly difficult for antivirus programs to detect so prevention is always better than cure!

What should be done if Data is Breached?

If your business experiences a data breach, you need to be prepared for how it will affect the people affected by the event. Tell them as soon as possible – if they’re not already aware that something has gone wrong!

You should also inform all relevant authorities and regulators such as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours of discovering that there may have been unauthorized access to or loss of information and certainly no more than 30 days after this occurs. The ICO has strict guidelines on what companies must do when experiencing a security issue so make sure you familiarize yourself with these before taking any action. They include:

– Notifying those who are likely to be at risk from fraud because of their personal details being stolen such as customers, employees, and other third parties.

– Notifying the police if any fraud has occurred or is likely to occur as a result of being hacked – this includes all types of fraud even those which are not particularly serious such as phishing scams via email.

– Adopting emergency procedures for your business in case there are more security breaches taking place that you don’t yet know about. This should include disabling any access credentials that have been compromised by hackers so they cannot be used further until changed by IT support staff. The same applies to both internal and external hard drives where data was stored before it became known to be lost or stolen! You will need guidance from reputable companies on how best to proceed depending on what information might have been lost or stolen as well as whether the breach occurred through a technical glitch, human error or intentional theft.

– Consider reporting any data breaches to your customers and letting them know what has happened so they can take preventative action where necessary such as changing their passwords. This is particularly important for those who may have had information leaked which could be used to carry out fraud against them such as bank account details.

What should you do if someone’s Personal Data is Breached?

If an employee suffers a data breach because of a lost or stolen device, make sure you have this covered by your IT insurance policy! If there are more security breaches taking place that you don’t yet know about, consider reporting it to your customers and let them know what has happened so they can take preventative action where necessary.

Conclusion

Data security is the goal of every company. When confidential data is been hacked it is Data Breach. You should always keep your software up to date and avoid opening suspicious emails so you will be preventing most vulnerabilities. If there are unauthorized accesses or loss of information, inform authorities within 72 hours. Lastly, if an employee loses a device with personal data on they must have this covered by an IT insurance policy!

– Ensure that all software is regularly updated to protect against new types of viruses and malware attacks that are constantly emerging. These can be particularly difficult for antivirus programs to detect so prevention I s always better than cure!

– Make sure staff are trained on how to use the internet securely when browsing websites as well.