In today’s digital world, businesses are facing more cyber threats than ever. From ransomware to data breaches, if there’s money to be gained, no business is too small to become a target. Unfortunately, not all small businesses have the resources or guidance to respond effectively to a cyber attack. In fact, 44% of Canadian organizations say they’d benefit from guidelines on how to handle a cyber incident¹.

Having a solid incident response plan can mean the difference between a quick recovery and lasting damage to your business. Here’s how you can prepare:

• Establish an incident response plan
• Detect: Assign someone to monitor devices and data. Identify points of contact and create a clear process for employees to report security issues or unusual activity. Keep your customers informed if the attack impacts your operations.
• Respond: Disconnect all devices from your network. Temporarily suspend employee access, especially if their accounts were targeted. Reach out to cyber security experts for help identifying the type of attack and how to combat it. Change affected passwords and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts. Notify the police, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
• Recover: Restore systems and update software, firmware, and devices to prevent future breaches. Run anti-virus and anti-malware software across all devices to check for any lingering threats. Analyze the incident to strengthen any weak points in your cyber security measures.
• Test your incident response plan regularly to ensure everyone knows their role and to test for any areas that should be made stronger.

Communication and transparency are key to minimizing damage to your organization. If you’ve had a cyber incident, be upfront and honest with your staff and customers. Implementing these steps in your incident response plan can help your small business recover more quickly from a cyber attack.

1. Communication of Cyberattacks and Cyber Attack Preparedness Know More