There is a cyber attack every 39 seconds according to a Clark School Study at the University of Maryland. And if you’ve read our second post in this series, then you have learned why all businesses are potentially vulnerable. So, keep calm and read more to learn how to minimize and eliminate some of the aches and pains when you become wrapped up in a cybersecurity storm.

4 STEPS TO WEATHER A CYBERSECURITY STORM

Learn to be Aware

Cyber attacks, by design, are meant to be difficult to find and may be hidden to everyday users. Look for spam-type links that have embedded themselves within the pages of the site. Is there suddenly an unfamiliar admin that is posting suspicious blog content on behalf of your company? Or, perhaps you’ve received a notice from Google that has scanned the site’s pages and found potential malicious content. Pay attention to irregularities and become aware of potential vulnerabilities. Don’t ignore the warning signs. Find something? Don’t panic. Just…

Breathe. Then Sound the Alarm.

First, take a breath. You’ve caught on to the problem which is a big step. Now, pick up the phone and call your web dev team. Immediate care is critical as your webmasters will have to thoroughly comb through the site and unearth all areas of vulnerabilities before a full-scale solution can be implemented.

Then, do whatever is necessary to put a plan in motion to resolve this crisis. Sound the alarm. Raise the flag, or jump up and down on a couch like Tom Cruise to alert the decision makers that need to be involved! Don’t hide your head in the sand or allow your team to blow it off. The longer malicious content sits on the site, the more damage it can potentially do. Costs from cyber crimes are estimated to exceed $2 Trillion by 2019. You can also read our previous post for more information on the costs of a cyber attack.

Now, Manage the Damage

It may take days or weeks to identify the root issue and to create and implement a full-scale solution. A comprehensive strategy will most likely require a coordinated effort from your support team to remove malicious content, eliminate unauthorized users, and elevate all security measurements to prevent future attacks. Collateral damage that may occur during this time can include a blow to the site’s search rankings, potential site downtime or delays and other pains leading to an additional loss of sales revenue. On top of this, the site may even be branded untrustworthy by search engines if the suspicious content is detected and will deter users from navigating to the site. Yahoo and Equifax are great examples of how a cyber attack can compound costs and revenue loss can snowball.