An ounce of prevention is relevant in today's cyber world

The last few years have seen tumult in the cybersphere. WannaCry has made businesses and individuals literally want to cry, while hackers made small Bitcoin fortunes off other’s misery. Europe was hit hard with this latest attack, but we in U.S. will undoubtedly see attacks make their way across the Atlantic. Malicious cyber-attacks are not going to go away, in fact they may become more prevalent as operating system weaknesses are identified and social engineering becomes more covert.

There are several small things businesses can do to mitigate the cyber-attack risk, such as regular password changes, coaching staff on the danger of PDFs and picking up the phone to verify a request that deals with personnel or financial information.  However, even with the best of intentions things can goes awry. When something happens — is there a plan in place for how to deal with the unexpected?

Intrepid handles dozens of crises every year and through our years of experience, there is one common denominator that has the greatest impact on an organization’s ability to mitigate the damage—get ahead of the tidal wave by having a plan in place. Once a company has been attacked, things are frantic at best, and knowing who is responsible for communicating to customers, staff and potentially media is only one component that needs to be addressed. There are a multitude of IT issues that need resolving but internal and external communication need to happen quickly to avert a significant crisis.

The adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is more than relevant to today’s cyber landscape. Anticipating and planning for possible “what ifs” will help companies be better prepared when an attack occurs. Working with an experienced partner who can help you plan and navigate through issues big and small is not only a prudent business practice but will provide you with greater peace of mind.