Cybercriminals will target anyone or anything that’s open to exploitation. From large, powerful government organisations to small charities and everything in between, they’re ready to zero in on any weakness.
Every business, no matter how small, and every organisation, no matter how large, needs a cyber security incident response plan. Knowing what to do if you detect an attack can prevent hackers from carrying out their plans, saving you from financial loss and a damaged reputation.
The Scope of the Cyber Security Threat in the UK
It’s all too easy to get lulled into thinking that you’re unlikely to be affected by cyber crime. However, the facts and figures cannot be denied. The Institute of Government and Public Policy reports that 74 percent of large businesses and 70 percent of medium-sized businesses experienced cyber security breaches in 2024.
84 percent of businesses reported phishing attacks, and this figure is almost certainly conservative. Not all phishing attacks are detected because hackers often make their phishing messages seem routine and plausible. In addition, not all businesses report them.
The survey revealed that 35 percent of businesses were subject to impersonation attacks. Once again, a well-researched impersonation attack can easily go unnoticed, so the figure may well be considerably higher.
Cybercriminals employ multiple strategies to spread viruses and malware that gather data, steal passwords, and place businesses at risk. Besides exploiting the human element, they are constantly in search of weaknesses in your business systems and online security. A robust incident response is fundamental to cyber security. Many businesses have overlooked it to their cost.
What is Incident Response in Cyber Security?
A cyber security incident response plan details actions that should be taken if a cyber attack is detected. It’s a crisis plan that can kick in at a moment’s notice, allowing you to foil attacks or, at the very least, limit damage.
The top prerequisite is that effective cyber security incident response requires equally strong incident detection. Notice the breach too late, and the damage is done. This occurred during the notorious cyber attack on the British Library. Experts believe that the Ransomware as a Service (RaaS)-driven attack had infiltrated the British Library’s databases months before any irregularities were noticed.
Once you establish effective incident detection, the next step is developing a cyber security response plan. The following tips and examples may be of help.
How to Create and Implement a Cyber Security Incident Response Plan
Your cyber security incident response plan covers three phases. Knowing what to do before an attack is as important as knowing what to do during and after an attack.
Before an Attack
- Train all staff. Each person must understand what their role in cyber security is. They must know the procedure for reporting anything that seems suspicious as well as any initial actions they should take immediately. This training should be part of the employee onboarding processes.
- Set up 24/7 support services. In an emergency, you will need a dedicated team of cyber security experts you can turn to. For most organisations, this will not be an in-house team, so be sure to connect with a service provider, such as Advantex that is ready to assist without delay.
- Include information on law enforcement organisations that your team will contact in the event of a cyber attack. The National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre are the most important of these.
- Circulate hard copies of your cyber security incident response plan. Remember, your systems may be inoperable during an attack.
- Define roles and actions. Every person must know their role in combating a cyber attack, understand what steps to take, and be aware of their reporting duties. Parties to report to include internal stakeholders like company directors as well as external parties like the authorities and your cyber security company.
- Review your plan frequently, looking for areas where improvements are needed. The threat landscape is ever-changing, and your plan should keep pace with it.
- Run cyber attack simulations. Like fire drills, they prepare everyone so that they automatically take the right steps in an emergency. These exercises also help you to evaluate your cyber security response plan’s effectiveness.
Assign Key Roles to Take the Lead During an Incident
- Appoint an incident manager to coordinate the response. This person need not be a technical expert. Instead, they will manage communication and check that all the necessary tasks are assigned timeously.
- Appoint a technical manager. This person is a cyber security expert and will likely be an external consultant. They will direct your staff and their technical staff to take actions that contain damage, determine its cause, and combat the attack. They will be a key player in developing and revising your cyber security plan.
- Appoint a communications manager. During a serious cyber attack, external stakeholders will want to know what is occurring and what is being done. This includes members of the public, news reporters, and shareholders.
Review Your Cyber Security Response Plan After an Incident
- Call a formal meeting chaired by the incident manager. Review the timeline to see whether the plan requires any changes to work more efficiently. The meeting does not seek to apportion blame. Instead, it aims to improve the plan to enhance future responses. Encourage people to share their perspectives in a supportive environment.
- Analyse the incident in detail, considering the roles of people, processes, and technologies. Look for areas in need of enhancement. For example, staff training, more efficient processes, and more effective technical tools may be needed.
- Update policies and procedures governing your cyber security incident response plan to close any gaps you identified during your review process.
- Communicate your findings and implement any adaptations to your plan. Be sure that all your staff are aware of the updates, know why they are important, and know how to work with them.
All of these steps and activities form part of incident response in cyber security and should be captured in your plan. Create an overview by developing a cyber security response plan checklist summing up all the activities that must occur.
Your incident manager will require a full list of the activities they are to manage. Other role players may have shorter checklists but should also receive the full one so that they can see where they fit into the overall process.
24/7 Technical Expertise From Advantex
The UK government has identified a shortage of people with cyber security skills as one of the challenges organisations face. With Advantex to help you, this need not compromise your defense against cyber attacks.
We can assist with advanced threat detection, live threat monitoring services, and 24-hour support. Allow us to help you develop a cyber security incident response plan for your organisation, and call on us to handle the time-sensitive and skilled work of combatting attacks.
We are trusted and accredited cyber security professionals serving public and private organisations of almost every type and size. Contact us today, and let’s work together to foil cyber crime in all its forms. Our vision for the future? A UK IT landscape that presents such formidable barriers that cyber criminals will always walk away unrewarded.
