In this article, we address cyber crisis management. Indeed, a cyber crisis is the consequence of one or more malicious actions taken on the information systems of an entity. They may have consequences that can be disastrous both financially and reputationally speaking.

Although rare, such cyber crises are more and more frequent, the question to be asked is no longer whether they will affect us one day, but rather when they will occur.

Good cyber crisis management is essential. In the middle of a crisis, the main element that will help deal with it among the management of the affected entity is communication. It allows to face the cyber crisis with more ease and deal with the long-term consequences pre-emptively, particularly by coordinating actions between the various departments/entities of the organization, or by notifying any third parties affected.

Communication in times of cyber crisis considers several factors including, but not limited, to the following:

Transparency

The idea is not to disclose all the information about the incident, but to share the information that needs to be shared and thus reassure the employees, the clients, and any other stakeholders.

Also, trying to hush up an incident can lead to media attention and the publication of false information about the ongoing cyber crisis. Transparent communication can remove doubt and maintain confidence, which is the best when it comes to cyber crisis management.

Timing

The timing to start a communication procedure is complex. Indeed, starting to communicate too quickly may be dangerous, because it is necessary to make sure that the incident in progress leads to a cyber crisis, and is not simply a minor incident that can be quickly contained. On the other hand, slow external communication can lead to false information being spread by the media and to a loss of customer confidence.

Communication during & after the cyber crisis

During a cyber crisis, the use of alternative communication channels may be necessary for several reasons: commonly used communication mediums may be unavailable or a secure way of transmission may be needed for private communications.

Preparation

Whenever a cyber crisis occurs in the organization, the question of how and to whom to address the incoming incident should have already been answered. Those questions take time, must be carefully prepared, and tested through cyber crisis simulation exercises to ensure the efficiency of the chosen answer.

This preparation allows efficient cyber crisis management and consequently less time wasted.

How can Excellium Services help you?

Thanks to our experience in the field of information security, we have established a structured and pragmatic approach to help our clients establish and implement their information security strategies.

This approach is based on the implementation of a cyber crisis management process defining the essential activities to deal quickly and efficiently with a cyber crisis, including of course the preparation of a cyber crisis management plan to anticipate the communication needed during this type of event.

To support this resilience structure, we also offer the creation and conduct of a cyber crisis exercise to test the cyber crisis management process/plan and to raise awareness among your employees.

 

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