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Preparation is key to mitigating a data breach

Business leaders may not want to think about it, but every organization should have a plan in place to deal with the aftermath of a data breach. In today's cybersecurity climate where threats are lurking around every corner, failing to comprehensively outline a response strategy is akin to putting one's head in the sand. There are many factors to consider when planning for a cyberattack, and all should be given their due attention.

Have a legal strategy in place
Many companies are so focused on preventing a breach from happening that they overlook the importance of coping with the ensuing legal issues that arise following such an incident. Organizations that house sensitive information belonging to customers and clients should be especially concerned about the potential legal ramifications of a breach. SecurityInfoWatch contributor Michael Bruemmer noted that business leaders should take particular care when choosing a law firm to help address any fallout.

"[Legal partners] should have an understanding and be able to provide guidance on what to disclose that will avoid creating unneeded litigation risks based on the latest developments in case law," Bruemmer wrote. "They should also have a working understanding of public relations and the forensics investigations process to help ensure that anything recorded and documented by an organization balances the need for transparency and detail without creating legal risk."

Prep your PR teams
Another important point that decision-makers should consider is having a public relations team ready to answer any questions clients may have and allay any concerns regarding the integrity of stored data. According to Kroll Ontrack, a recent cybersecurity study discovered that many breach victims are first notified of the incident by a third party. The fact that external organizations may be the first ones to identify a breach could cultivate doubt in the public's mind that a business is capable of adequately protecting customer information. That's why PR leaders should be prepped with a response plan in place to address any prevailing fears following a cybersecurity incident.

Monitoring, encryption essential to breach mitigation
It's also in the best interest for companies to have monitoring tools in place to identify potential vulnerabilities and malware lurking within their internal networks. A security information and event management solution could be very beneficial in this regard, allowing cybersecurity teams to assess the health and performance of an organization's defensive protocols.

One way for businesses to avoid the legal and PR ramifications that are likely to result following a breach is to lock down customer data through encryption. Today's high-quality solutions can effectively prevent cybercriminals from accessing sensitive information even in the event that they crack network defenses. Encryption should be applied to any data that may be coveted by unauthorized users. In particular, any organization that processes financial transactions on their networks should take every effort to ensure that those transmissions are fully encrypted.

For businesses that routinely process payments from customers and clients, SSL certificates are an absolute must. These effective tools make it nearly impossible for cybercriminals to intercept financial details, providing a much-needed layer of protection for e-commerce retailers and other companies. By encrypting these types of transactions, organizations can greatly reduce the likelihood of exposing customer data and dealing with all the headaches that come with such an incident.

Even though the threat of a data breach has never been more pronounced, companies can still do their part to make the fallout as painless as possible. Preparation is absolutely essential to mitigating the damage from a breach, allowing corporate leaders to account for every contingency and keep business rolling as smoothly as possible.

Protect business and customer data with SSL encryption today.

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