Disaster Recovery for Data Breaches

Retain Your Reputation and Customers with Effective Data Breach Recovery

When we hear the word disaster, we might think of things like flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes. But in today’s digital world, you’re more likely to be hit by a cyber disaster ─ a data breach caused by an attack using ransomware, for example.

Are you prepared for a disaster caused by a data breach?

You’ve planned and put in place strategies to protect your business IT against data breaches. You’ve followed data security best practices, and partnered with expertise in managed data loss prevention and managed IT support. You’re good to go. Or are you?

What if the unthinkable happens? What if a cyberattack manages to breach your security defenses? How do you keep your business going?

You need a disaster recovery plan for data breach.

What is a disaster recovery plan?

Disaster recovery is the process of restoring or rebuilding an organization’s IT systems following a disaster. This process is executed with the help of a disaster recovery plan.

The goal of a disaster recovery plan is to minimize downtime and data loss during disasters. The plan should include processes for data backup, offsite storage, and system restoration in case of emergencies.

5 Reasons to plan disaster recovery for data breach

We know that data breaches are on the rise. It’s hard to stay safe in this digital age. But, if you’re not prepared for a data breach, it can be disastrous. Your company could lose its customers and its reputation. It could even permanently close your business.

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider disaster recovery for data breach:

1. You’ll be able to recover your data and business quickly after a breach, minimizing damage

2. You’ll be able to protect your customer’s information

3. You’ll feel more confident about your security measures 

4. You can reduce your costs of dealing with a breach by having an emergency plan in place

5. Your team will be more productive by focusing on what they do best

What should a disaster recovery plan detail?

There are five key elements to include when developing a disaster recovery plan:

1. A business impact analysis (BIA) which details what data is stored and where, and which data is business-critical. The idea is to understand how long your business can survive without such data.

2. A prioritized inventory of your hardware and software.

3. The establishment of time and recovery point objectives.

4. A service level agreement with vendors that establishes the service level that will be provided should a disaster occur.

5. Procedural guides for safeguarding your sensitive data through the disaster recovery process.

The five stages of disaster recovery for data breaches

Your disaster recovery process should be a journey through five stages:

1. Isolate the impacted system

As soon as you know a part of your system has been impacted, it should be isolated. This should protect the integrity of your wider network, and allow the affected system to be analyzed effectively.

You should also repeat the process for connected systems, to ensure that they have not been affected. Document all actions taken.

2. Recover clean and restart

The system should be rebuilt or cleaned by experts with experience in disaster recovery. The database must be analyzed to ensure that it is clean by comparison with a backup, and the system should be updated with patches.

To restart clean, you should include a rotation of credentials such as encryption keys and passwords.

3. Ramp up system-wide monitoring

It is possible that the attack was not on the compromised server. Attackers may try to compromise your system again. Your data could be more valuable than you originally assessed. For these reasons, you should increase and improve monitoring.

4. Document lessons learned

There are always lessons to be learned from a data breach. Examine your existing policies, processes, and practices to understand how the cyberattack was able to take place. Identify gaps, and plug them.

5. Communicate with all stakeholders

It’s crucial that you communicate effectively with all impacted parties ─ internally and externally. Keeping people fully informed will help you to retain their trust and keep your reputation intact.

Data breaches and disasters happen ─ Be prepared

No matter how comprehensive and effective your data security measures, there is a chance that they will be compromised ─ either by mistake or by a highly sophisticated cyberattack.

With an effective disaster recovery plan in place, your company can respond swiftly and successfully and thus retain trust, reputation, and customers. The key is to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Millennium Tech USA are here to deliver to your hopes and protect you from the worst.

To discuss your needs for disaster recovery planning, contact us today.